Remember When
by maxandkiz
Summary: John accidentally lets a wish slip at Christmas time.  Little does he know that his wish is about to come true in the most unlikely way.  De-aged Dean and Sam!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- Yeah, I know I shouldn't be starting another story. Luckily, this one is over half finished already. Just a nice, short, sweet story in time for Christmas.

SPN 

John Winchester turned into the parking lot of the town's tiny strip mall and pulled into the nearest empty space. Cutting the engine, he glanced over at the scruffy looking man in the passenger seat. "You take the new age store and I'll handle the rest of the shopping." He ordered. "We'll meet up at that diner in thirty."

"Sounds good to me" Bobby Singer replied as he opened his door. Climbing out of the cab of the truck, he groaned. "Next time we're taking the impala. My back can't take riding in that monstrosity of yours."

"You getting soft in your old age, Singer?" John asked with a smirk on his face.

"Old age my ass" Bobby grumbled, whacking the younger man with his tattered ball cap. Smiling at John's laugh, the salvage owner shook his head. "You're in an awfully good mood, Winchester. You sneak a drink or two when I wasn't looking?"

"No, nothing like that. I'm just happy." John replied, patting his friend on the back.

"Cristo" Bobby muttered.

John chuckled. "I'm not possessed, Singer. What, I can't be in a good mood sometimes?"

"Depends on what's got you in that good mood." The hunter threw back.

"I've got my boys back; both my boys." John explained. "What could be better than that?"

"I'll give you that, Winchester" Bobby said as they stepped onto the sidewalk. "Just do me a favor and tone it down a little. You go back to the motel looking like that, you're gonna scare the crap outta those boys."

"Duly noted" the Winchester patriarch replied before turning and heading left down the walkway. "See you in thirty!"

"Yeah, yeah" Bobby mumbled. Shaking his head, the salvage owner started for the herb shop. 

SPN 

Thirty minutes later, Bobby trudged into Mae Belle's Diner. Spotting John sitting at a table in the far corner of the room, he shuffled over. He set his bags on the bench seat before sitting down and picking up a menu. "You order yet?" he asked. Getting no response, the older hunter glanced across the table at his friend. Noticing John staring at something on the other side of the room, he followed his friend's gaze. Seeing a young father with a toddler on his lap and a slighter older boy sitting beside him, the salvage owner sighed. "Brings back memories, don't it?"

"Yeah" John softly answered. He reluctantly tore his gaze away from the happy family, turning to stare at the tabletop instead. "You know, I kind of miss that. Back then, everything was so much easier. Sammy and I didn't argue. He thought I hung the moon. And he was happy. The least little thing made him smile. I miss that happy, little boy." John paused for a moment, running a weary hand across his beard. "And Dean, Dean was my little man. The kid was so confident and sure of himself. He helped me keep it together. He took care of Sammy and me. To this day I still don't know how he managed it."

"What can I get you gentlemen this morning?" a twenty something bleach blond asked as she stepped up to the table.

Bobby glanced over at John before speaking. "We uhh, we've changed our minds. We'd like our order to go."

"Alright" their waitress, Flo, said as she pulled out her order pad. "What would you like?"

"We'll have two bacon double cheeseburger meals with fries. One with extra onions" John told her. "And a chicken sandwich meal with fries and three coffees."

"I'll have the chicken sandwich meal with coffee, too." Bobby added.

"Okay that's two bacon double cheeseburgers with fries, extra onions on one, two chicken sandwich meals with fries, and four coffees" Flo repeated back. "Can I get you anything else? Perhaps some dessert?"

"Pie" John replied. "We'll take four slices of your apple pie."

"You've got it." Flo said. "You're order will be right up!"

Bobby watched the waitress flit over to the counter before turning back to John. Seeing the other man's attention on the small family once more, he sighed. "John" he called.

The Winchester patriarch slowly turned his gaze to his old friend. "You know, I still remember what the boys wanted for Christmas when they were that age." He said, nodding over at the family. "Sammy had been to a neighbor's house and they had a trampoline. It was all he talked about for days. I think he must have told every mall Santa in three states that he wanted one for Christmas. And Dean had seen these new video games at a store. He wouldn't come right out and ask for them but I knew he wanted'em."

"I take it Santa disappointed them?" Bobby questioned after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah" John replied with a nod. "Sammy's wish never had a chance. There was no way he could have a trampoline. There wasn't any where to set one up at the motels we usually stayed at. And even if we could, we'd have to take it down and put it back up every time we moved. That just wasn't doable. Dean's would have worked well despite all our traveling. But you had to have the game system to play the games. And I didn't have the money for the games much less the whole system."

"They understood that, John." Bobby comforted.

"I know." John conceded. "It doesn't make it any easier. You know, sometimes I wish I could go back and give the boys a real, honest to God Christmas."

"Here you go, gentlemen. I hope you enjoy your meal." Flo said as she handed the food bag and cup container to the two hunters. Taking their money, she put it in her apron pocket before counting out their change. "Come back to see us!"

"Thanks, we will." Bobby replied. He scooted out of the booth and grabbed his bags as well as the food bag. "Come on John, let's get back to your boys."

"I'm coming" John mumbled. Picking up his bags and the cup container, he took one more look at the happy family across the room before following the salvage owner out of the diner.

Neither hunter noticed the young blond haired man sitting in the booth behind them. "Wish granted" the man whispered before snapping his fingers and disappearing.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- "Wish granted" the man whispered before snapping his fingers and disappearing. 

"Soup's on!" Bobby announced as he walked into their motel room. Setting the overflowing food bag on the rickety table, he eyed the seemingly empty room.

Following Bobby into the room, John swiftly scanned it. Taking note of the clothes strewn on the floor and the spilled water bottle beside the nearest bed, he snatched his pistol out of the back of his jeans and set his sights on the only part of the room that was hidden; the bathroom. He knew there was no way his boys would both fit in the tiny space unless…Worry for his sons momentarily overrode his hunter's instincts causing him to call out, "Dean? Sammy? Answer me!"

The two seasoned hunters watched with baited breathe as the wooden door to the bathroom slowly opened a crack. A moment later, the door swung open the rest of the way and two boys stepped out. Gasping, the men gazed from a young Dean who was aiming a shotgun at them to a tiny knife toting Sam.

Finally finding his voice, John barked out, "Dean, what the Hell happened?"

"No offense sir, but Sam and I need to make sure you're really you." The freckle faced boy said as he motioned towards the far bed.

Seeing the bottle of Holy water and silver knife laying on top of the spread, Bobby nodded. "You got it, kid." Giving John a nudge in the right direction, the salvage owner crept over to the bed. Keeping his hands in sight and his movements slow, he picked up the flask, uncapped it, and took a big swig. He then passed the flask to the younger hunter and grabbed the knife. After rolling one of his sleeves up, he quickly made a shallow cut and held up his arm for the boys to see, smiling as John did the same.

Sam dropped his weapon and ran over to the Winchester patriarch almost tripping a couple of times on the hem of his enormous shirt. "Dad!" he shouted, latching on to his father's leg.

John reached down and scooped the little boy up. Settling the youngster on his hip, he walked over to his eldest. "Either one of you care to explain how you ended up like this?" he asked.

Dean shrugged his shoulders. "No idea, sir. We were just sitting on the bed going over the research when everything started getting fuzzy. We must have passed out 'cause the next thing we knew we woke up like this." The now eight year old explained, motioning to his now little body.

"Dean's wight, dad" Four year old Sam put in, wincing at the mispronunciation. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable in his father's arms, he started to squirm.

"Be still, Sam" John warned, tightening his hold on the wiggling youngster.

"Daaad, put me…" Sam broke off as the lights flashed before going off, plunging the room into darkness.

"What the heck?" Bobby growled, putting a hand on Dean's shoulder and drawing the little boy closer to him.

"Look!" Sam exclaimed, pointing to the illuminated mirror hanging on one wall.

The group stared at the foggy mirror as letters began to appear.

_Winchester, you are in luck. I heard that little wish of yours. Now normally I wouldn't give you the time of day. In fact I'd probably have a little fun with it at your expense of course. But it's Christmas and at this time every year I am tasked with doing a good deed for someone. I guess it's supposed to make up for all my fun during the year or something. Anyway, yours was the first true wish so I had to grant it, sappy as it is. You have until midnight Christmas Day to enjoy your little boys again. Don't blow it! This is the only chance you'll ever get. Make the most of it. Oh, there's one outfit for each boy in the dresser. Any more clothes will be up to you. Gotta go reek some more havoc now! Enjoy! _

_Loki _

_P.S. Don't screw up!_

"Awww crap!" John muttered, staring at the glowing words. Feeling eyes on him, he looked down to see twin glares being leveled at him.

"What did you do?" Sam squeaked, blinking as the lights suddenly came back on.

"We were just talking, reminiscing about the old days. That's all." John swore as he sat down on the end of the closest bed. "I wasn't…I didn't mean to make a wish."

"Well, take it back!" Sam hollered. "I don't wanna be a little kid again!"

"And yet you whine just like one." Dean commented, smirking at his little brother's attempted bitch face.

"Deeean, it's not funny!" Sam yelled, trying to fight off the sudden urge to cry. Feeling tears fill his eyes despite his attempts to stop them, he ran the back of his hand across his face.

Seeing Sammy getting upset, Bobby quickly stepped in. "Look, we're not going to get anywhere by arguing." He pointed out. "Let's sit down and calmly discuss this mess over lunch."

"Discuss it!" Sam hollered. "What is there to…"

"Sam" John warned, immediately silencing the youngster. "Bobby's right. We need to calm down if we're going to figure this out."

"But, but" Sam stammered, scrubbing at his eyes once more.

"It's okay Sammy" Dean comforted as he came to stand beside his dad and brother. "We'll figure out a way out of this. Promise."

Sniffing, Sam nodded. "Okay" he agreed. "But you bettew be wight."

Laughing at his little boy's speech, John stood. "Come on buddy" he said, tossing Sam in the air. "Let's eat!"

"Daaad" Sam groaned.

Dean giggled as he watched his dad throw his brother into the air again. The kid was in for it. Their dad and Bobby were sure to baby him…the eight year old yelped as he was picked up from behind and tossed over someone's shoulder. "Bob-by, put me down. I'm too old for you to carry." He whined.

"Get used to it Sport. I plan on enjoying every minute of this." Bobby replied. He walked over to the table and deposited Dean onto one of the chairs. Reaching into the white paper bag, he pulled out one of the cheeseburgers and fries and handed them to the little boy.

Dean tore into the burger wrapper and took a huge bite. "Fanks, Bobby" he said, spraying the table with bits of food.

"Dean, don't talk with food in your mouth." John scolded as he cut one of the chicken sandwiches into small pieces. Finishing his task, he carefully set the Styrofoam plate of chicken in front of a scowling Sam. "Samuel Winchester, lose the attitude and eat or you and I are going to the bathroom to have a little talk."

"B-bathroom?" Sam repeated, glaring up at his dad. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Sammy, I wouldn't test him on that if I was you." Dean suggested. "You're small enough to easily fit over his knee now."

"I don't cawe!" Sam shouted, standing up in his chair. "He can't just…" His rant abruptly cut off as he was upended over his father's lap.

John delivered four hard swats to his baby boy's behind before sitting him back on his chair.

"You, you spanked me!" Sam cried, rubbing his now sore bottom. To his horror, the tears he'd fought down earlier began flowing down his cheeks.

Surprised by his grown son's reaction, John reached over and picked the crying toddler up and hugged him tight. "Shhh Sammy, you're okay buddy. Daddy's got ya." he whispered as he slowly rocked back and forth.

Sighing, Sam melted into his father's embrace. He closed his eyes, soaking up the long forgotten comfort John was offering. It had been far too long since he'd felt so safe and secure.

John rocked and hummed until Sam went limp in his arms and his breathing evened out. Standing, the Winchester patriarch slowly shuffled over to the bed farthest from the door and gently laid the sleeping boy down. Snagging the blanket off the other bed, he tucked it around the youngster. "Sleep well, Sammy" he whispered, placing a kiss on his son's forehead.

"Sorry Dad. I should have known the little brat was tired. Sammy always gets whiny when he's tired." Dean quietly said once his father returned to the table.

"Dean, you can't blame yourself for your brother's actions. Sam knows how to behave." John pointed out.

"Yeah, but…"

"No buts, Dean-O. You are not responsible for Sam's misbehavior. Got it?" John repeated. "Or do I need to give you the same punishment I gave your brother?"

"No, no need for that dad" Dean hastily replied. "I got the message."

"Good" John said as he ruffled the eight year old's hair. "Now eat, we need to be packed and ready to go by the time your brother wakes up."

"Where are you figuring on going, John?" Bobby questioned.

"First, we need to stop somewhere and get the boys some more clothes. And then we'll head to your place. If anyone has the information we need to turn the boys back, it'll be you." John explained.

"You got that right. Bobby is like the king of supernatural lore." Dean commented, reaching for his coffee.

"Oh, no you don't boy." Bobby growled, snatching the cup before Dean could get it. "No coffee till you're old enough to shave again."

"Aww come on Bobby, I'm a growing boy. I need my caffeine." Dean argued.

"No coffee, Dean" John reiterated as he stood. "I'll go get you an orange juice out of the machine out front."

"Orange juice?" Dean grumbled. Seeing his father's eyebrow raise at his tone, he quickly ducked his head. "Actually orange juice sounds really good, sir."

John smiled down at his son. "Good decision, kiddo" he praised. He squeezed Dean's shoulder before going out the door to procure the requested drink.

Dean waited for his dad to leave and then dropped his head onto the table with a groan. "It's gonna be a long day." He muttered.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- Thank you to everyone reading this story especially all the ones who have taken time out of their busy schedule to not only read but review. It's nice to know there are still a few nice folks here.

Here's a nice long chapter for Christmas Eve.

Previously on Supernatural- Dean waited for his dad to leave and then dropped his head onto the table with a groan. "It's gonna be a long day." He muttered.

SPN

John tossed the last of the bags in the impala's trunk and slammed the lid down. Going around to the passenger side of the vehicle, he opened the back door and set the cooler full of juice and water in the floorboard. He ran a hand across his beard as he stared at the booster seat and seat belts that had miraculously appeared in the classic Chevy.

"Looks like the trickster thought of everything, doesn't it?" Bobby asked, coming up behind his friend.

"Yeah, that's what worries me." John replied. "Loki are known for playing cruel tricks on victims to teach them a lesson, not granting people's wishes. He's up to something. I just know it."

"If he is, we'll handle it." the salvage owner assured his friend. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah, it's just the boys are so small and vulnerable right now." John sighed, glancing over at the open motel room door.

"Don't worry about the boys, Johnny. We'll protect them." Bobby promised. "He's not going to get near them again."

"I hope you're right about that, my friend." John muttered.

"What do you mean, hope? I'm always right." Bobby cockily declared, eliciting a grin from the Winchester patriarch. He patted the younger man on the back. "Come on Johnny, let's go check on those boys of yours before they destroy the motel room."

"My boys?" John gasped, putting a hand over his heart. "I'll have you know my boys are perfect little angels."

"Umm hum, right" Bobby scoffed. "You can't even say that with a straight face, ya idgit."

"Okay, so they're not…"

"Dad, Sammy's waking up!" Dean hollered from their room doorway.

"Coming, Dean" John called back. Doubling his pace, he glanced back at Bobby. "Get the lead out old man! It's time to get the boys and hit the road!"

"I'm coming, ya idgit!" Bobby good-naturedly grumbled. Grinning at the prospect of spending some quality time with the boys and John, the old hunter quickly made his way across the lot and into their motel room. Seeing the littlest Winchester sitting on the bed sleepily fisting his eyes, he stifled the urge to pick the kid up and hug the stuffing out of him. Knowing John's youngest would be beyond mortified if he did, the old hunter settled for ruffling the little tyke's head. "Hey ya Sammy! About time you woke up. Your dad and brother have been chomping at the bit to get going."

"Going? Whewe?" Sam questioned, looking from one hunter to another.

"We're going to Bobby's place to research that Loki guy." Dean filled in.

"But this is whewe he is. We need to stay hewe so we can catch him and make him change us back." Sam reasoned.

"Sammy, the trickster's long gone by now. They take off as soon as they pull their prank; watch their victims from a safe distance." John told his son. "That much we know. And before you say it, I know there's a ton of rumors and supposed lore on how to catch a Loki floating around the internet but the majority of it is hog wash, which is why the thing is almost impossible to capture."

Seeing his little brother's face fall, Dean quickly spoke up. "But dad's talking about other hunters, not us. We're going to catch that trickster so fast it'll make his head spin. He'll regret the day he decided to mess with the Winchesters. Right, dad?"

"That's right, Dean, we'll have you two back to your normal selves long before Christmas. First things first though" John said as he walked over to the bed and picked his youngest up. "Before we can do any hunting, you need to get into some clothes that actually fit."

"Yeah, I hate to be the one to tell ya bitch but that shirt dress is so last year." Dean teased in a high pitched voice, bringing a dimpled grin to his little brother's face.

"Language Dean" John warned.

"Really, dad?" Dean questioned.

John nodded. "You look like an eight year old boy so I expect you to act like one. That means no calling your brother a bitch." He ordered. Seeing the boy's mischievous grin, he added, "or any other words you might come up with."

"Can I call him…"

"No Dean" John broke in. Sighing in exasperation, he switched tactics. "Let me put it in a way you'll understand. You are not allowed to call your brother any of your crude monikers until Sammy towers over you again." He instructed, winking at the littlest Winchester.

"Dude, that was low." Dean grumbled.

John smirked. "I got my point across, didn't I?" he teased before turning back to his youngest. He set the boy on his feet and knelt down in front of him. "I put an outfit for you in the bathroom. Go change so we can hit the road."

"K, dad" Sam replied. He gathered the bottom of his huge shirt in his hands, and scurried towards the bathroom.

"Oh and Sammy?" John called. He waited for his son to glance back before saying, "Make sure you use the bathroom while you're in there. It's a long trip."

"Yes sir" Sam responded, turning beet red. He hurried into the bathroom and shut the door.

Taking a seat on the beds, the other hunters discussed their plans for the day while keeping an ear open in case their youngest member needed any help. They had managed to work out everything up to their supper break by the time the bathroom door opened. Glancing up, they found Sammy peering around the corner at them. "You about ready to go, son?" John curiously asked.

"Umm almost dad" Sam quietly replied.

"Well what are you waiting for? Go ahead and finish. You're wasting time." John ordered.

Taking in the way his little brother was nervously shifting from foot to foot, Dean frowned. "Something wrong, kiddo?" he called, drawing the men's attention back to the boy.

"I ummm, I can't" Sam stammered as a blush crept across his face. Raking a hand through his hair, the littlest Winchester took a deep breath before blurting out, "I can't reach the toilet."

"Aww Sammy" John sighed, swatting Dean in the back of the head when a giggle escaped his lips. Walking over to the bathroom door, the Winchester patriarch held out his hand. "Come on Sammy, I'll give you a hand." Hearing a thud followed by more laughter, he turned to glare at his eldest before slapping his forehead as he realized what he'd said. "I mean I'll help you…crap! You know what I mean." Taking his youngest by the hand, John quickly walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

Dean sat up and rubbed the tears from his eyes. "Bobby, I've changed my mind." He said with a grin. "This might not be such a bad day after all."

SPN

After dropping John's truck off at a storage facility, the small family made the short trip to the nearest "everything at one site" store. Pulling into the closest parking space to the building he could find, the senior Winchester cut the engine and turned around in his seat to look at his boys. "Alright you two, you know the drill. You look like kids, so act like them. That means no big words or crude language. Stay with me or in my line of sight at all times. Don't touch anything unless told to." he instructed. "And no arguing or fussing unless you want to spend the entire ride to Bobby's on your stomach. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir" the boys automatically answered.

"Good, let's go." The hunter said as he climbed out of the vehicle. Opening the back door, he helped his youngest out of the car before taking both boys by the hand. They walked across the parking lot and through the sliding doors to the shopping cart area. "Okay Sammy in you go." He ordered, scooping the toddler up.

"Can't I just walk beside you?" Sam begged, locking his knees so his dad couldn't put him in the child safety seat. "I'm too old to sit in there."

"One" John growled.

"On the other hand, riding is good." Sam mumbled as he quickly sat himself down.

Smiling at the boy's compliance, John ruffled the youngster's chestnut hair. "Good choice, Sam" he praised. "Dean, stay…"

"Close, I know dad." Dean grumbled, crossing his arms which earned him a scowl from his dad. The eight year old immediately dropped his arms and straightened his face. "Sorry sir, this being a kid thing takes a little getting used to."

"I know." John replied, wrapping one arm around his son's thin shoulders. "You're doing fine, Dean. Just relax a little and let Bobby and I handle things, okay?"

"Okay dad" Dean agreed, giving his father a smile.

"Can we please go get what we need now?" Sam asked. "This seat isn't exactly comfortable."

"We're going, kiddo." John assured his youngest. Taking the handle of the shopping cart, he steered the buggy through the store until he found the boys' section. He maneuvered around several racks of clothes before stopping in front of a bin full of jeans. The Winchester patriarch set several pair for both little boys in the cart. He then proceeded to add long and short sleeved shirts, pajamas, thermals, heavy coats, and gloves to their cart. Moving to the next aisle, he tossed a couple packs of socks and underwear on top of the growing pile. Satisfied that they had enough warm clothes to last for a few days, John quickly pushed the buggy over to the shoe section where he got both boys new boots. "Almost done" he announced.

After a quick stop in the grocery section for snacks, John led the way past the office supplies and electronics to the toy section. Picking up Sam, he set the boy on his feet beside his brother and knelt down in front of them. "Alright, we've got a long trip ahead of us so I want you guys to go pick out two toys; age appropriate toys." He instructed.

"You want us to pick out toys?" Sam incredulously questioned, staring at his dad like he'd lost his mind.

"Yes, I do." John replied.

"Dad, are you feeling alright?" Dean inquired, reaching out to feel his father's forehead.

"Cute, Dean" John huffed, swatting the boy's hand away. "Look, we're going to be on the road for at least a day and a half, maybe more depending on the weather. And there's probably going to be a lot of stops along the way. While we're traveling, you two are going to have to look and act like little kids which means you need some toys."

"Your dad's got a point, boys. When you guys were little, you always had some toy or another in your hands when you came to visit." Bobby pointed out.

Sam sighed. "You're really going to make us do this, aren't you?"

"No, I'll be fair about it. I'll give you a choice." John offered, smiling down at his boys. "Either you pick out the toys you'll be carrying around the next few days or I will."

Dean and Sam exchanged horrified looks before shaking their heads. "No, no that's okay dad. We've got this covered." Dean stammered.

"Y-yeah, you stay here with Bobby." Sam added with a nod. Turning, he raced down the aisle with his brother.

The brothers ran all the way to the end of the aisle before stopping. Looking at the rows of action figures and toy cars, Dean scratched the back of his head. "Okay, age appropriate toys" he mumbled, surveying the toys. "This will be easy."

"Easy?" Sammy squealed. "What do you mean, easy? I don't even know what toys a fouw yeaw old would like!"

"Dude, chill" Dean warned, peering back at his dad to ensure he hadn't heard the toddler. Seeing the senior Winchester and Bobby absorbed in conversation, the boy let out a relieved breathe. "Look Sam, pick out a stuffed animal and a set of blocks. That's what you used to play with."

"Oh joy" Sam grumbled. Huffing, he glanced up and down both sides of the aisle before trudging over to his dad. "Ummm, dad? I need to go to another aisle."

"I'll take him, John." Bobby volunteered. He took the toddler by the hand and went around the corner. They searched three aisles before finally coming upon the stuffed animal section. "Alright boy, go to it." he instructed, releasing Sam's hand.

Sam carefully scrutinized all the stuffed animals before picking a small black and white dog. He pulled the toy off the shelf and turned and went over to check out the block sets. His eyes lit up as he took in all the complex building kits. Spotting a space shuttle set, he reached up to get it. Finding that he was too short, he got up on his tip toes and stretched as far as he could. Groaning as the box remained just out of his reach, he looked back at the salvage yard owner. "Hey Bobby, a little help hewe?" he called.

"Sure Sport" Bobby replied. He walked over and picked up the requested item. Looking over the box, he sighed. "A little old for you, don't you think?"

Sam shrugged. "It's blocks."

"Okay, it's your funereal." Bobby told him. Taking the boy's hand once more, the hunter quickly led the boy back where John and Dean were waiting. He dropped the box of blocks into the buggy before picking up Sam and sitting him back in the child safety seat. "We need anything else, John?"

"No, I think that does it." John stated, pushing the buggy towards the front of the store.

"Good, let's pay for this stuff and get outta here. I don't like the looks we're getting." Bobby groused, glaring at two old ladies as they passed by.

Chuckling at his friend's discomfort, John guided the shopping cart up to the row of registers. Zeroing in on one that was just opening up, he hurriedly pushed the buggy over to that lane and right up to the cashier. The senior Winchester dumped the contents of the cart onto the counter and waited for the cashier to give him the bad news.

Sam settled his elbows on the bar in front of him, rested his head on his hands, and blew his bangs out of his eyes. He watched the frumpy looking woman ring up their purchases for a few minutes before tiring of the cashier's repetitive motions. Glancing around, he found his attention quickly drawn to the rack of candy and chips right beside the register. His mouth watered as he gazed at all the sugary sweets. They looked so good and he knew they'd taste even better. Rubbing his rumbling tummy, the littlest Winchester decided it was time to pull out his secret weapon; the puppy dog eyes. Turning on his very best wide eyed puppy expression, Sam looked up and tugged on his dad's shirt sleeve. "Daddy, can I have some candy?" he asked, once he had his father's attention. "Please?"

'_Don't look! Don't look!'_ John's mind screamed but it was too late. He had already been captured by his son's famed "too cute to be resisted" hang dog expression. "Yes, you can." he found himself saying. Catching sight of another set of hopeful, puppy eyes staring at him, the father sighed. "You too, Dean" he ordered, smiling as his eldest's grin lit up his whole face. Taking the bags of M&M's and Skittles from his two excited boys, he handed them to the cashier. He swiped his latest credit card, this one under the name Mr. Denny Duquette and scrawled a signature on the machine. Taking the receipt from the cashier, he quickly pushed the shopping cart out of the store.

Sam swung his feet back and forth as he waited for his dad, Bobby, and Dean to finish loading all the bags in the impala's trunk. This being a little kid again thing was complete and utter crap. He was too short to reach anything, too little to walk anywhere by himself, and too small to help the others out. If this was supposed to be a gift, the trickster had definitely fucked it up 'cause there was no way his dad would…

"You ready to get out of that contraption, Sam?" Bobby asked as he walked up to the front of the shopping cart.

Sam nodded and raised his arms to be picked up.

Chuckling, the salvage yard owner scooped the boy up and carried him to the car. He settled the youngster in his booster seat and swiftly strapped him in. "There you go, Sport" he said, ruffling Sam's hair.

Huffing, the littlest Winchester finger combed his hair, straightening it the best he could. Mindful of his treat, he stopped the remark he so wanted to say. Instead, he gazed up at his surrogate uncle, pinning the older man with his puppy dog eyes. "Bobby, can I have my Skittles, please?" he sweetly asked.

"No Sam" John answered as he climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. "We've got a long ride ahead of us and the last thing Bobby and I need is you and Dean on a sugar high."

"But I'm hungry!" Sam whined, his growling stomach backing up his claim.

"What? You can't possibly be hungry!" John yelled as he drove out of the parking lot and onto the highway. "We just ate an…Awww shit! I forgot. You slept through lunch." The Winchester patriarch ran a weary hand across his face. "We'll run through the first drive through we see, okay Sammy?"

"Thanks dad" Sam replied. Sitting up in his seat so he could see, the young hunter gazed intently out the window. Spotting the golden arches up ahead, he quickly hollered out, "There's a…"

"I see it, Sam." John said. Flicking on his right blinker, he slowed down and then turned into the fast food restaurant's parking lot. He drove through the lot and right up to the line for the drive through. "The usual, Sam?" he asked.

"Yes sir" the littlest Winchester enthusiastically responded.

"What about you, Dean?" John inquired.

"Johnny, you do know Dean ate not two hours ago." Bobby chided.

"This is Dean we're talking about, old man. The kid's a bottomless pit. Always has been." The senior Winchester reminded, shooting his boys a grin in the rearview mirror. "Isn't that right, boy?"

"You know it." Dean proudly stated as he patted his stomach.

"Burger and fries sound about right?" John questioned.

"Yes sir" the eight year old replied. "The biggest one they've got, please?"

"Two kid's meals coming right up." the Winchester patriarch announced, ignoring his eldest's protests. Pulling up to the screen, he ordered the cheeseburger and chicken nugget kids meals along with two coffees and then drove up to the window. After paying for the food, he took the offered bags, handing them off to Bobby. He set the cup container on the seat beside him and pulled out of the lane and into a parking spot.

Bobby rifled through the bags before passing one to Dean and the other to Sammy. Taking the coffee cups out of the container, he gave John his and put the other between his knees. "Dean, put the drink container next to you. You can hand Sammy his when he wants it." he instructed, giving the tray of milk jugs to the little boy.

"Everybody set?" John called. Hearing three affirmative responses, he nodded and backed out of the parking space. "Let's hit the road then." He quickly drove through the lot and turned right onto the highway. Taking a large swig of his coffee, John leaned back in his seat and began the long drive home.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. Harper's Island is not mine either. I own nothing. 

AN- Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes. My niece's daughter is now home and doing well. The kid's definitely a fighter. I posted a pic of her(with her mom's permission) on my LJ so you could see her. You can get there through my profile page. 

Previously on Supernatural- Taking a large swig of his coffee, John leaned back in his seat and began the long drive home. 

SPN 

"Dad! I need to make a pit stop!" Sam shouted, setting the book he'd been reading in his lap.

"Again?" John exasperatedly asked. Catching his son's nod in the rearview mirror, he sighed. "Fine, I'll find a place." Figuring the boy would be able to wait a little while, he kept right on driving. He'd pull off in a half hour or so. Sam could easily make it until then.

Assured that they would be stopping soon, Sam picked up his book. Shifting in his seat, he opened it back up and started reading. He needed something to keep his mind off his full bladder.

Dean stole worried glances at his brother as they rode. The hand held poker game he had been playing was all but forgotten as he kept an eye on Sam. He couldn't believe their father hadn't stopped at his little brother's announcement. At four, the kid had not been able to hold it for very long at all. When he said he had to go, you found a place fast if you didn't want to risk an accident. Surely, their dad remembered that. "Evidently not" Dean concluded as they passed yet another exit. Oh well, there wasn't anything he could do at the moment. Speaking up would just tick their dad off and assure a long wait before they stopped. And he couldn't pull off at the next exit himself since he wasn't the one driving because he was too frickin' little! All the eight year old could do was wait and watch. He'd keep his mouth shut for now. But the second Sammy looked like he was in distress, Dean was gonna make their dad stop even if he had to climb into the front seat and seize control of the steering wheel.

Ten minutes later, Sam was reaching the end of his endurance. Squirming in his seat, he whimpered as they passed another exit. Glancing up into the rearview mirror, he saw his dad's 'boot camp commander' face and knew they wouldn't be stopping any time soon. Sighing, he dropped his gaze to the impala's floorboard. Maybe there was a bottle or something he could use.

Noticing his brother's wiggling reaching a fevered pitch, Dean quickly spoke up. "Dad, you better find a bathroom fast or the back seat's gonna be flooded!" he hollered over the blaring radio.

"Shit!" John exclaimed. Stomping on the accelerator, he sped down the highway searching for an exit with a rest stop. About ten miles down the road, the exit they needed came into view. Yanking the wheel to the right, the Winchester patriarch pulled off the highway and onto the exit. Following the signs, he took a left and guided the impala into the nearby McDonald's parking lot. Claiming a spot right in front of the restaurant, John threw the car into park and quickly cut the engine.

"I've got him, dad" Dean called from the back as he swiftly unfastened his seat belt and threw open his door. Jumping out of the vehicle with Sam, he grabbed his little brother's hand and the two raced into the fast food establishment.

Bobby watched the Winchester boys dash through the restaurant and disappear around a corner. Taking his ball cap off his head, he raked a hand through his thinning hair as he tried to think of the best way to say what was on his mind. Sneaking a glance at his companion, the older man could tell by the set of John's jaw and the white knuckled grip he had on the steering wheel that the man was pissed. And that didn't bode well for the hunter's children. An angry John Winchester was like a spooked rattler; he struck without thought. Only difference between the two was that John used words instead of teeth. 'The teeth would hurt less.' Bobby mused. Concluding that having the senior Winchester's wraith aimed at him was preferable to having it directed at the boys, the salvage yard owner decided to go with the direct approach. Keeping his eyes focused straight ahead, he began. "John, you need to…"

"Don't start, Singer" John warned.

Not about to be deterred, the elder hunter held his ground. "You gotta ease up a little, Johnny. The kid can't help needing to answer the call of nature."

"That kid is twenty-two." John snapped. "I shouldn't have to stop for him every couple of hours."

"Sam may be a young man in mind but his body is a little child's" Bobby reminded. "Or have you forgotten?"

"Of course I haven't forgotten! I'm the one responsible for it!" the Winchester patriarch growled.

"No, the trickster is to blame for this mess." The junk yard owner corrected.

"He was following my wish." John replied. "If I hadn't made that stupid comment, he never would have touched my boys, which makes this my fault."

Watching a large group of children celebrating what looked like a birthday, Bobby frowned. "Johnny, we can lay blame to the cows come home but it won't do us a bit of good. It happened. We'll deal with it." Bobby reasoned, turning to look at his friend. "Save the blame game for after they're back to their rowdy pain in the ass selves."

Rubbing the ache at the base of his neck, John was silent for a moment before nodding. "I know. Doesn't make it any easier."

"I never said it did." Bobby replied, eliciting a half hearted glare from the Winchester patriarch. Chuckling as the younger man attempted to keep a grin from breaking out, the salvage owner pushed forward. "Hey Johnny? That wish, did you mean it?"

"Of course I did" the younger hunter huffed. "I'd love a chance to make things right; give the boys what they deserve."

"Good, then let's do it" Bobby told his long time friend.

"Bobby, we've gotta find a way to reverse this. We don't have time…"

"Yes, we do." Bobby argued. Seeing Winchester about to protest, he held up his hand. "Just hear me out, okay? I'm not saying drop everything and forget about the trickster. That would be beyond stupid. I just mean that the Loki gave you a gift whether he meant to or not and you shouldn't waste it. We're gonna be on the road at least today and tomorrow. Make the most of it. We're bound to make a good many stops with Dean and Sam this little. Neither one of them is going to be able to sit in the impala all day. Use that out of the car time to do something with them; something that doesn't include hunting. Talk, go for a run, or throw that football around with them."

"Football? What football?" John questioned.

"The one jammed in the back of the trunk" the older man answered.

"I don't know, Bobby" John hedged, running a hand across his beard.

"Just think about it, that's all I'm asking." Bobby said, frowning as something in the restaurant caught his eye. Scooting up in his seat, he gazed intently at the fast food place's huge windows. "Balls!" he exclaimed. "Johnny, we've got another problem."

"What's wrong?" the Winchester patriarch asked, slipping into hunter mode. "What do you see? Is it the trickster?"

"No, it's worse" the senior hunter advised. "There's a clown over by the restrooms."

John burst out laughing. "A clown? Seriously?" he chuckled. "We've got a trickster on our tails and you're freaking out about a clown?"

"I'm not, but Sam will." Bobby corrected. "Clowns scare the crap outta the boy, remember?"

"Yeah, when he was five" John countered. "Sam's a grown man now. He's faced everything from angry spirits to vampires. An idiot with make up on his face isn't going to faze him."

"Riiight" Bobby muttered. "Look, would you at least go check on them? They've been in there an awfully long time."

"Fine, I'll go make sure they weren't abducted by the tidy bowl man." John teased, rolling his eyes. Opening his door, he dodged the ball cap aimed at his head. He tossed a "Getting old, Singer" at his friend before quickly shutting the door. Striding over to the glass doors, he pulled them open and went inside.

Bobby shook his head as he watched his friend walk through the restaurant. He hoped the hard head would at least warn the boy. Sam was having a hard enough time; he didn't need a clown scaring the bejeezus out of him. Leaning back in his seat, he shifted around until he found a comfortable spot. He sighed and closed his eyes only to snap them back open as his brain registered what he'd just seen. Bobby's eyebrows shot up under his cap as he observed Dean speed walking through the fast food establishment. Wondering what could possibly have gone wrong, he swiftly climbed out of the Chevy. He hurried around the front of the vehicle, meeting the Winchester boy as he came out of the door. "What's wrong, kid?" he asked.

"Ummm, nothing Bobby" Dean hedged, going to the back of the vehicle. "I just need to get a few things outta the trunk is all."

"The trunk?" Bobby questioned as he reached into the open driver's window and snagged the keys. "What could you possibly need out of the trunk?"

After the older man popped the trunk, Dean quickly reached inside and started rifling through the white, plastic bags stored there. "Well, you see Sammy he uhh, he kinda didn't, umm, make it inside in time." The eldest Winchester stammered.

"Oh, OH!" Bobby gasped as the light bulb came on. Grabbing a bag, he upended it, dumping the contents into another bag. "Here, use this" he suggested, handing the now empty sack to the boy.

"Thanks Bobby" Dean gratefully said. He stashed the clothes he was holding in the bag, tied the top, and then dashed towards the restaurant. Yanking open one of the glass doors, he rushed inside the building. The eight year old slowed to a fast walk as he made his way down an aisle, around the birthday party, and all the way to the back where the restrooms were located. Not wanting to surprise his dad and brother, the youngster rapped twice on the door before going in. Bypassing his father, Dean made a beeline for the closed stall door. "Here you go, Sammy" he called as he stuck the bag under the door. "Holler if you need any help."

A muffled 'Thanks Dean' floated from the stall.

Backing up to the sink, Dean leaned against the counter to wait.

After several minutes filled with muttered cursing, Sam emerged from his impromptu dressing room. Bag in hand, he shuffled over to the sink to wash his hands. Standing on his tip toes, the littlest Winchester stretched as far as he could but his hands still barely touched the top of the counter.

"Let me help you with that, Sam" John offered as he stepped up behind his son. Scooping up the four year old, he held him up long enough for the boy to wash and dry his hands. The hunter then set the tyke back on his feet and reached for his hand. "Alright boys, let get out of here."

Dean took his brother's other hand and started for the door. "Hey Sammy, better stay close to dad and me or the big, bad clown might get you." He teased.

John frowned as his youngest went pale and a look of fear flitted across his face before the boy could mask it. 'Crap! Bobby was right!' John thought. He barely managed to stop the command 'suck it up' from escaping his lips. He'd already screwed up once where Sammy was concerned. He wasn't about to do it again. He mentally ran through several game plays before quickly formulating a solution. "Hold up a minute boys." He instructed, stopping at the doorway. "There's something we have to talk about first."

"What's up dad?" Dean curiously asked.

John crouched down in front of his sons and placed a hand on each boy's shoulder. "We can't just go walking out there, Dean. That clown will think we're with the birthday party and he'll try to steer us over to those tables. Then we'd have to feed him some line to get away from him and the partiers. That'll cost us time we don't have." John explained.

"So, what's the plan?" Dean inquired. "You want me to distract him while you and Sammy get away?"

"Not this time, Ace. I've got a much simpler plan in mind. I'll carry Sam." The senior Winchester replied before turning to his youngest. "Sammy when I pick you up, I want you to lay your head on my shoulder and close your eyes; pretend to be asleep. There's no way that clown will bother us then."

"K" Sam agreed, raising his arms.

Smiling, John scooped his youngest up and settled him on his hip. Taking Dean's hand, he walked the few steps to the bathroom door. "Ready guys?" he asked.

"Ready" Dean called, grabbing the door handle.

Sam obediently laid his head on John's shoulder and closed his eyes. "Weady" he mumbled, tightening his grip on his dad's neck.

"Then let's blow this popsicle stand" John announced, giving his eldest a nod. Taking Dean's free hand, he walked through the doorway and into the restaurant. After a cautious glance around, the father swiftly strode past the rows of tables and out of the building. Making it to the impala, he opened the back door and gently placed the four year old in his seat. "Good job, Sammy" he praised, ruffling the toddler's hair. "You too, Dean"

John took the bag of wet clothes from Dean and stored it in the trunk and then climbed into the car. Starting the engine, he glanced back to ensure that his boys were strapped in before putting the vehicle in reverse and backing out of the parking spot. Turning back onto the highway, he flipped the radio on and settled in for the long drive ahead. 

SPN 

Feeling the impala turn, Dean sat up straighter and gazed quizzically out the windshield. Taking note of the lines of parking places surrounding an island of green, he frowned. "Why are we stopping?" he asked.

"I thought we could use a little break." John responded as he pulled into a spot.

"Bweak?" Sam piped up, looking curiously at his father.

"Yeah, you know, get out, stretch our legs a little" the Winchester patriarch explained. "Maybe even toss a ball around for a while."

Sam stared at his big brother, his brown eyes full of worry. "Dean, dad's scawing me." He whispered.

"It's okay, Sammy" Dean quietly replied, pulling a small flask out of his back pocket. Uncapping it, he jumped up and dumped the contents over his father's head.

"What the…Dean!" John shouted as he swiped at the water streaming down his face.

"Dad?" Dean gasped, his eyes going comically wide. "Crap dad! I'm sorry! I thought you were…"

"Possessed" John finished, glaring at the chortling man in the passenger seat. "I got that. Shut it, Singer"

"Y-you sh-should, should've seen your f-face!" Bobby stammered as he tried unsuccessfully to curb his laughter.

"It was *snicker* kinda f-funny." Sam agreed, before being overcome by a giggling fit.

One look at his little brother was all it took to send Dean over the edge. He busted out laughing, too.

Huffing, John attempted to keep the angry look on his face. But it was no use. The sound of his son's merriment broke through his tough façade and he joined in the laughter.

Once the laughing had tapered off to the occasional giggle, Bobby shifted in his seat so he could see the boys. "You two ready to get out now?" he asked.

"Yes!" Sam enthusiastically replied, unfastening his seat belt.

"Alright then, let's go!" John called. Stepping out of the Chevy, he opened the back door for the boys before going to the trunk. After retrieving the football, he led the way past the small crumbling building to a large grassy spot. "How about some two on two? Me and Sammy against Dean and Bobby? Sound good?"

"Sounds like somebody's about to get creamed" Dean commented.

"Yeah, you and Bobby" Sam threw back, sticking his tongue out at his brother.

"In your dreams, Shrimp! Bobby and I can take you and dad any day." Dean confidently stated.

"I'll remind you of that when we win." John told his son.

"Are we gonna talk or play?" Bobby growled.

"We're getting to it." John answered. Picking a spot, he set the ball on the ground and set his stance. He called several numbers before standing and carefully tossing the football to Sam.

Catching the ball, Sammy raced towards the tree that was serving as their goal. And the game was on! 

SPN 

Several hours later, the small family wearily trudged into their home for the night. Dropping their bags by the door, the boys looked over their nicer than usual hotel room. Spotting the big screen TV adorning one wall, the two made a beeline for it.

Rolling his eyes at his boys' behavior, John tossed his bag onto the bed closest to the door and walked into the bathroom. Leaning over the tub, he pushed the stopper down and then twisted the knob on the faucet until the water coming out was the right temperature. While he waited for the bathtub to fill, he laid a towel out on the floor and set two more on the closed toilet seat. Going back into the main room, he unzipped his bag and grabbed his kit. The hunter went back into the bathroom and placed his shampoo and soap on one side of the tub. He waited a few more minutes before turning off the water and walking into the other part of the room. "Boys, go take your bath" he ordered, taking a seat on the bed. "I already ran the water."

Dean looked from his dad to his brother before saying, "Go ahead Sammy. You can go first."

"You both go, Dean" John instructed.

Dean and Sam's jaws dropped. "What? No way, dad! I'm not bathing with Sam! That's just, just, wrong!" Dean hollered, grimacing at the thought.

"Ewwwww, dad, no way!" Sam echoed.

"Boys, don't st…ow! Bobby what the hell?"

"Just thought I'd knock some sense into you" the salvage yard owner answered as he replaced his trucker cap. "You can't seriously believe Dean and Sam should be taking a bath together."

"What's the big deal? They used to bathe together every night." John said.

"Yeah, when Sammy was two!" Dean argued.

Knowing he was fighting a losing battle, John surrendered. "Fine, Sammy go take your bath. Dean can get in when you're finished."

"No bath, shower. I haven't taken a bath since I was six." Sam adamantly stated.

"Tough" John responded, pinning his youngest with his infamous "mad dad" expression. "You have to the count of three to get your butt in that bathroom. One, two…" He grinned as the four year old dashed into the bathroom and slammed the door. "That's what I thought." he muttered. Getting up, he trudged over to the coffee maker to start a pot. He had a feeling he was going to need it. 

SPN 

John walked out of the bathroom, toweling off his hair. Throwing the wet towel back into the small room, he shuffled over to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup. Sipping on the strong brew, he glanced at the television. "Dean, what are you watching?" he asked as he looked at a young woman hanging on the screen.

"It's some show called Harper's Island" Dean told his dad. "It's really cool! There's a killer on the island and you don't know who it is till the end! And they're supposed to off somebody every episode!"

"It's a marathon so we can watch the whole thing at once." Sam added.

"I don't think that's something you should be…Is that Singer?" he asked, staring at the sheriff on the screen.

"Naw" Dean replied, shaking his head. "We thought it was Bobby too till we saw the credits. Bobby's doppelganger is some guy named Jim, Jim, ummm, Otter?"

"Badger?" Sam threw out.

Dean shrugged. "It was some animal name." he said. "Anyway, Sammy and I have a bet going on who will guess the killer first. Loser has to do the laundry for the next month."

"In that case, count me in." John announced. Picking up Sam, he scooted up the bed until his back hit the headboard. Sitting the four year old beside him, John wrapped an arm around each boy, pulled them into his side, and sat back to enjoy the show. 

SPN 

Bobby quietly crept into the room and shut the door. Turning around, he started for the coffee pot only to stop dead in his tracks. "Awwww" he whispered as he caught sight of John sleeping with Sammy lying on his chest and Dean snuggled into his side. Pulling out his cell phone, the gruff hunter set it to camera and focused it on the sleeping trio. He snapped a handful of photos before putting his cell away. Walking up to the bed, Bobby gently pulled the blankets over the family. "Night guys" he whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- A couple of quick things: First, I replaced the note on Chapter 4 with an actual chapter so if you haven't read that chapter, you might want to go back and read it first.

And I've got a favor to ask. I have a few days of Christmas break left and I'd really like to read some limpSam fics. If you know of any new ones, please PM me. Please no slash and no hurt Dean. Thank you!

Oh, and the first part of this chapter is totally Criminally Charmed's idea.

Previously on Supernatural- Walking up to the bed, Bobby gently pulled the blankets over the family. "Night guys" he whispered. 

SPN 

A slap to the face yanked John out of a sound sleep. Feeling a small body snuggled into his side and a tinier one lying on his chest, he snapped his eyes open. He relaxed as the sight of his sleeping boys reminded him of their situation. Hearing his youngest whimper, the father placed a hand on the boy's back and began gently rubbing it. "Shhh Sammy, it's alright." He whispered, frowning as his son's tossing and turning grew worse.

"No! Jess!" Sam screamed as he struggled to escape the arms holding him. The ironclad hold was not the one he remembered; the one he longed for.

"Sammy! Sammy, it's okay son" John soothed. Letting out a relieved breath as the boy's struggles lessened, he loosened his grip on the youngster. "That's it, buddy, you're okay, it was just a dream, you're safe"

Sniffling, Sam fisted his eyes and peered up at the senior Winchester. "Dad? Wha, what am I doing on top of you? And why are you we…" Sam dropped his head onto his dad's chest with a groan. "Oh man, I can't believe I did that again."

"It's okay, Sammy." John assured his youngest. "It's not the first time you've let loose on your old man."

"Oh God, kill me now." Sam mumbled, turning fire engine red.

"It's not that bad, son. Come on, let's get you cleaned up." The Winchester patriarch said. Wrapping an arm around the little boy, he slowly sat up. After carefully extracting his left arm from its spot under Dean's head, John stood up and shuffled over to the white plastic bags sitting on the floor. He sifted through the contents until he found the items they would need. With clean clothes in hand, he trudged into the bathroom and shut the door. The father set the clothes on the closed toilet seat and stood Sam on his feet. Grabbing a wash cloth off the rack, he quickly wet it under the tap. "Can you handle it by yourself or do you need some help?" he asked, holding out the wet rag.

"I can do it, dad." Sam replied, taking the offered cloth.

"Alright, I'll just look at this, ummm, towel rack." John told his youngest. He turned around to give the embarrassed boy a little privacy.

Once his father was no longer facing him, Sam swiftly took off his wet pants and underwear and cleaned himself up. After patting himself dry with a clean towel, the littlest Winchester snatched the new clothes off the toilet and pulled them on. "You can tuwn awound now, dad." He called when he had finished.

Turning around, John smiled down at his son. "Are you okay now Sam? Think you can go back to sleep?" he questioned.

"Yeah, sorry I woke you up and, and, you know." Sam apologized, dropping his gaze to the floor.

Sighing, John knelt down in front of the youngster. "Sammy? Sammy look at me, son." He softly ordered. When the boy refused to meet his gaze, the senior Winchester reached over and grasped the toddler's chin. He nudged Sam's chin up until the two were eye to eye. "You have nothing to be sorry for, understand?"

"But I…"

"Sammy, you had a nightmare. It's perfectly normal after what you went through. Trust me. I was the same way. I dreamed about your mom's death for months after it happened." John admitted.

"Bet you didn't wet the bed." Sam mumbled under his breath.

"No, I didn't. But then again, I wasn't turned into a four year old either." John pointed out. Seeing the boy shake his head, he wearily ran a hand across his beard. "Look Sam, I know this is hard for you and I'm sorry I caused this to happen to you and Dean. But we are going to get through this. I promise. You just have to hang in there for a little while longer. Think you do that for me?"

"Yes sir" Sam answered as he sleepily fisted his eyes.

"I think that's our cue to get back to bed. What do you say, kiddo?" John asked.

"Sounds *yawn* good" Sam mumbled, raising his arms.

Chuckling, John picked his son up and hugged him to his chest. "Come on buddy. It's past time for all little boys to be in bed." He whispered, kissing the top of the toddler's head. He shuffled out of the bathroom and over to the bed. Seeing his eldest sitting up staring at him, he smiled to let the boy know everything was alright. He took a seat on the side of the bed before carefully laying back down and settling a fast asleep Sam on his chest once more.

"He okay dad?" Dean anxiously asked once his father got settled in the bed.

"He's fine, Dean" John assured the boy as he wrapped an arm around him. "He just had a little nightmare. Nothing more. Now close your eyes and go back to sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us."

"Okay, if you're sure." Dean hedged, sliding back down and dropping his head on the pillow.

"I'm sure." John told him. Leaning over, he planted a kiss on his eldest son's forehead. "Night Dean"

Smiling, Dean closed his eyes. "Night dad" he whispered. Snuggling into his father's side, the eight year old was asleep in minutes.

John watched his boys sleep until his eyelids grew too heavy to hold open. Closing his eyes, he quickly drifted off to sleep. 

SPN 

Morning came far too soon for Dean's liking. Groaning as his dad shook his shoulder for the second time in as many minutes, the eight year old squinted open one eye to glare at the pest. "Go 'way, t'red" he muttered.

"Get up, Dean!" John ordered as he started flicking the boy's ear; something he knew his eldest hated. "We've gotta get on the road."

"Daaaad" Dean whined, swatting at the offending digits. "Quit it."

"I'll stop" John replied before winking at Sammy and adding, "when you get up."

Dean sat up with a huff. "Slave driver" he grumbled.

Smirking, John walked over to the door as their special knock sounded. He looked out the peephole to confirm the identity of the knocker before quickly opening the door. "Where'd you get that?" he asked staring at the heaping plate in his friend's hands.

"Downstairs at the complimentary breakfast bar" Bobby replied as he strode past his friend and took a seat at the wooden table in the middle of the room. Noticing Dean and Sam still sitting on the bed in their pajamas, he frowned and speared a couple of strips of bacon. "You boys better hurry up and get dressed or all the good stuff's gonna be gone."

At the salvage owner's pronouncement, the Winchester boys leapt out of bed. Grabbing a change of clothes, Dean dashed into the bathroom, slamming the door in Sam's face. Thinking on his feet, the littlest Winchester raced around the other side of their bed. Plopping down on his behind so that he was hidden from the men in the room, the toddler hurriedly started to change.

"Now why didn't I think of that?" John uttered as he took a seat across from Bobby.

"That's a good question" Bobby said as he stuffed a piece of sausage in his mouth. After chewing and swallowing his mouthful, he added, "Personally, I think it's because you were having too much fun aggravating Dean."

John smirked wickedly. "That sounds about right." He told the older man.

"You better watch your back, Johnny. Dean is one heck of a prankster." Singer warned, taking a sip of his coffee. "He's sure to pay you back when he finds out you were messing with him. Isn't that right, Sam?"

"Yes, ow, sir" Sam hollered over the bed.

"I'm not worried. Dean can't pull one over…"

"Alright, I'm ready! Let's go!" Dean loudly announced as he bounded out of the bathroom. Noticing that only the men were at the table, he scanned the room for his brother. Finding no trace of the youngster, he looked over at the other hunters. "Uhh, dad? Where's Sammy?"

John's reply of "behind the bed" came at the same time as Sam's shouted, "I'm over here!"

Rolling his eyes at his brother's choice of dressing rooms, Dean sauntered over to the other side of the bed. "You ready to go yet, Sammy?" he asked as he dropped down beside the younger boy.

"No" Sam answered with a sigh. He held up the straps to his overalls. "I can't get these fixed."

"Overalls, dude? Really?" Dean questioned as he took the straps from the frustrated toddler.

"It was the fiwst thing I found, okay?" Sam huffed.

"Sure it was." Dean muttered. He swiftly untangled the twisted straps, threw them over Sam's shoulders, and fastened them. "There you go, kiddo."

"Thanks Dean" Sam said.

"You two boys ready to go get something to eat, now?" John asked as he rounded the bed.

"Yes sir" the Winchester boys exclaimed, hopping to their feet.

"Alright, let's go then." John said, taking both boys by the hand and walking them to the door. "Now remember; you're kids, not adults, so watch how you act."

"We know dad." Dean huffed as he opened the door. "We'll be careful."

"Yeah daddy" Sam said in his sweetest little kid voice. "Me and Bubba be good boys."

"Cute Sam" John muttered before glancing back at the hunter sitting at the table. "Bobby, you wouldn't want to…"

"Sorry Johnny, you're on your own this time." Bobby answered with a chuckle.

"Thanks a lot." John grumbled. Taking a deep breath, he strode out the door Dean was holding open for him.

"Bye boys! Have fun!" Bobby hollered after the trio. Focusing back on his food once the door shut, he shook his head. He hoped the people in the breakfast nook were ready because their morning was about to get very interesting.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- "Bye boys! Have fun!" Bobby hollered after the trio. Focusing back on his food once the door shut, he shook his head. He hoped the people in the breakfast nook were ready because their morning was about to get very interesting.

SPN

"Alright boys, remember you're little kids" John reminded as the elevator started its decent down. Spotting the mischievous glint in Dean's eye, he quickly clarified, "well behaved little kids"

"Don't worry dad, we've got you covered." Dean assured his father.

"That's what worries me." John mumbled, steadying Sam as the elevator ground to a halt. Once the doors opened, he took his son's hands and stepped into the hotel lobby.

Walking into the semi-crowded breakfast nook, Sam pasted on the biggest, brightest smile he could manage. He started excitedly bouncing up and down. "Daddy! Look! They gots ceweals! And, and muffins!" he hollered, pointing out the items.

"Inside voice, Sammy" John chided, leading the boys to an empty table. Releasing their hands, he picked his youngest up and sat him on one of the chairs. "Okay you two wait here while I get your plates."

"Daaad, I'm old enough to fix my own plate." Dean complained.

John thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, alright" he agreed. "Just let me fix a plate for your brother and then you can go get yours."

"Okay" Dean replied with a grin.

Returning his son's smile with one of his own, the Winchester patriarch ruffled the boy's hair. He then turned his attention to his youngest son. "You know what you want, Sammy?" he asked.

Sam nodded. "Waffles!" he enthusiastically announced.

"One plate of waffles coming right up" John replied. Leaving Dean to watch over his brother, he went over to the counter on the far side of the room. He took a paper plate and a napkin before making his way to the waffle maker. After reading the directions, he picked up one of the tiny plastic cups and held it under the spigot of the batter container. The father pressed and held the lever down until the cup was full of the thick substance. He then opened the waffle maker and poured the batter inside. While waiting for the waffle to cook, John fixed himself a plate of food. Hearing the beep of the waffle griddle, he walked back over and extracted the large waffle. He poured a small dollop of syrup over the top, grabbed a milk jug from the small cooler, and went back to the table. Setting both plates down, the senior Winchester swiftly cut the huge waffle into kid sized pieces before sitting it in front of his son. "There you go, Sammy"

"Thank you Daddy" Sam said, tamping down the urge to remark on having his food cut up for him. They had to pretend he was four after all. With that thought in mind, the littlest Winchester snagged the largest piece of waffle on his plate and popped it in his mouth, making sure to smear the syrup all over his face in the process.

"Sammy, use your fork not your fingers" John scolded. Wetting a napkin, he captured the sticky digits and wiped them off.

"Sowwy daddy" Sam apologized, turning on his kicked puppy expression. Hearing the muttered "awwww" from the table beside them, he had to fight back a chuckle. Deciding to up the cuteness factor, he reached into his top overall pocket and pulled out his stuffed dog. Putting it on the table, he "walked" the dog over to John's plate where it "stole" a strip of bacon.

"Toys off the table, Sam" John ordered, giving the boy "the look".

Ignoring his father's glare, Sam went in for the kill. "But daddy Spot's hungwy!" he whined, his wide, watery eyes fixed on John.

Hearing the little old ladies at the next table, cooing over Sam, John rolled his eyes. The kid was good. He'd give him that. His youngest had the old girls eating out of the palm of his hand with just a look. And that meant John would have to be careful how he handled the boy's foolishness. One wrong move and he'd be up to his armpits in CPS workers. He was sure of it. So wringing the kid's neck was out as was touching him in any way. He'd just have to wait till they got back to their room to make the boy pay for his crap. For now, though he'd play along. Schooling his expression, he took the stuffed animal and its "meal" and set it next to Sam's plate. "Tell Spot he has to stay at his seat to eat, okay champ?"

"Okay daddy" Sam brightly replied. Looking down at his stuffed dog, the toddler put one hand on his hip. "You stay in youw seat Spot." He commanded, wagging a finger at the toy. Picking up the dog, he held it to his ear for a moment before nodding and setting it back down. "Spot says he stay thewe daddy."

The next few moments were a blur. Dean, carrying an overloaded plate and drink, walked up behind him and started around the table. As he got even with his little brother, a taller, chubby boy came up behind him and shoved him…hard. Thrown off balance, the eight year old fell onto Sam, sending both boys tumbling to the floor.

Reacting instantly, John leapt to his feet. He raced around the table and dropped to his knees beside his sons. "Dean, are you two okay?" he tersely questioned.

Dean, who was already sitting up, nodded. "I'm alright dad. But I think Sammy's hurt."

"Sammy?" John called as the toddler slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. Taking note of the big, red bump on his son's forehead, he grimaced.

Mindful of his growing audience, Sam screwed up his face and wailed. "Daddy! I f-falled and huwted my, my hand!" he cried.

Swiftly covering his surprise at the boy's outburst, the Winchester patriarch carefully examined the tiny body. Assured that there were no broken ribs and that the boy's eyes were equal and reactive, he took Sam's injured limb and gently prodded it. Determining that it wasn't broken, he let out a relieved sigh. John scooped up the crying toddler and slowly stood. He took a seat at the table and settled his youngest in his lap. "Dean, go get some ice." He instructed.

"Yes sir" Dean replied before scampering off.

"What's going on out here? What happened?" the hotel manager asked as he made his way through the crowd that had gathered around the Winchester's table.

"I'll tell you what happened." one of the ladies who had been making over Sam earlier stated. "That young rapscallion over there shoved this young man." she patted Dean on the shoulder. "And knocked him into the little one."

"That's exactly what happened." one of the other ladies piped up. "That big hooligan was the cause of all this!"

The hotel manager, a grandfatherly man named Jeff, crouched down beside John. "Is your son hurt, sir? Do I need to call an ambulance?" he inquired, wincing as he caught sight of the growing knot on the boy's forehead.

"No, no need for that" John quickly replied, taking the bag of ice from Dean. "I'll take him to the ER myself."

"Are you sure?" Jeff asked.

John nodded. "I just need to get the boys' jackets and the car keys from our room and we'll be on our way."

"I'll go, dad" Dean volunteered.

"No!" John adamantly stated, seeing the little bully leaving the room out of the corner of his eye. "I want you right here. Understand?"

"Yes sir" Dean replied. Knowing his dad was worried about his little brother, he sat down in a chair in front of him. "Umm, you want me to call Uncle Bobby?"

"Yeah, tell him to grab our stuff and get down here a.s.a.p." John instructed, handing the eight year old his cell as he continued to try to sooth the upset toddler in his arms.

Taking the phone from his dad, Dean quickly relayed the message to the salvage yard owner and sat back to wait. 

SPN 

Fifteen long minutes later the impala pulled up in front of the local emergency room. Cutting the engine, the Winchester patriarch threw open his door and climbed out. He opened the back door, leaned inside, and swiftly unfastened Sam's seat belt.

"Dad, I told you I'm okay. I don't need a doctor." Sam protested. But his protests fell on deaf ears. He was picked up and settled on his dad's hip.

"Be still Sammy" John warned the squirming boy in his arms. "This is happening whether you want it to or not. I don't think anything's broken but I refuse to take the chance with you in that tiny body."

"He's right son. We have to be sure." Bobby seconded as they walked across the crosswalk.

"I know" Sam admitted with a sigh.

Walking through the automatic glass doors, John whispered, "Remember your age" in Sammy's ear before stepping up to the nurse's desk and signing in. He started for the waiting room only to change directions when Sam's name was called. Going over to the nurse in the open doorway, he stopped long enough to order Dean and Bobby to the waiting room. He then walked through the open door and disappeared into the back.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- I apologize for the wait on this one. I had the chapter starting with the gang leaving the hospital. But a lot of people were excited at the prospect of reading a Sammy hospital scene so I went back and rewrote the first part to add in that scene. And with me gearing up for the second of two 2nd degree black belt tests, this is the first evening I've actually been home.

Oh, and please remember, I have no medical knowledge.

Previously on Supernatural- Walking through the automatic glass doors, John whispered, "Remember your age" in Sammy's ear before stepping up to the nurse's desk and signing in. He started for the waiting room only to change directions when Sam's name was called. Going over to the nurse in the open doorway, he stopped long enough to order Dean and Bobby to the waiting room. He then walked through the open door and disappeared into the back. 

SPN 

The fifty something nurse led the Winchester patriarch down a long corridor. Stopping at the last curtain on the right, she carefully pushed it aside and motioned the father inside. "If you'll just have a seat, a doctor will be with you shortly." The matronly nurse told him.

"Thank you" John replied. He sat down in the molded plastic chair closest to the exam table and placed Sam in his lap.

Sam leaned back against his dad's chest. He looked up at the stone faced hunter, grimacing as the action intensified his headache. "Umm, dad?" he quietly called.

"What is it, Sammy? Are you hurting? Do I need to call the nurse?" John anxiously questioned.

"I'm alwight, dad" Sam assured his father. "I just, uhh, I was wondewing how I'm supposed to act around the doctow."

"Oh, let's see. You were kind of a shy kid especially around adults. I think you picked up on Dean's wariness of any stranger." John related, scratching his beard. "You warmed up to people quickly, though. All it took was a nod from Dean or I and you'd been talking the person's ear off. Doctors were the same. At least until they did something that hurt you. You were done with them then."

"Weally?" Sam asked.

"Oh yeah" John answered, smiling down at his son. "Of course the worst were the shots. The doctor so much as said the "s" word and you'd go to wailing. I'd have to hold you down every time."

"Man, I was a wimp." Sam muttered.

"No, you were four, Sammy. Most four year olds act like that about shots." John told his youngest. "Dean was the same way when he was a toddler. In fact, if memory serves, he was worse than you."

"Dean? No way!" Sam scoffed. "You'we making that up."

"I'm telling ya, Dean was the world's worst. He'd start crying the minute we walked into the doctor's office and he didn't stop until we walked out." John explained, smiling fondly at the memory. "He was a kicker, too. I always made your mom take him cause even then the kid had deadly aim."

Sam giggled. "You mean he, he…"

"Sent your old man to his knees? You better believe it." John replied, chuckling.

Doubling over laughing, Sammy yelped when he accidently jarred his injured hand.

"You alright, buddy?" John asked.

"Yeah, I just moved wong." Sam responded. Seeing the skeptical look on his father's face, he sighed. Sometimes his dad could be just as big a mother hen as Dean. Wanting to take the attention off himself, the youngster steered the conversation back to his brother. "Hey dad, what made Dean stop being afwaid of the doctow?"

John raised an eyebrow at the obvious distraction. Knowing that calling the boy on it would get him nowhere, he settled for providing comfort. Rubbing his son's back, he said, "After your mom died, I took you both with me everywhere including the doctor. It didn't matter which one of you was sick; you both went. Being the big brother, Dean decided he needed to set a good example for you. So he tried his best to get through doctor visits without getting upset. He'd do good too until the shots came out. Then Bobby came into the picture. When he took you guys to get your immunizations, he gave your brother a task to do. Dean was so involved in it that he didn't even notice the nurse giving him the injection. After he realized that shot didn't hurt, he never cried at the doctor again. You were the same way. It just took you a little longer."

"It did?" Sam curiously asked.

"Yeah" John admitted. "Dean would do his best to distract you. He'd make faces or tell you stories. Anything to keep your attention off what was about to happen."

"Bet you guys were happy when I got biggew." Sam commented.

"Bigger isn't always the answer." John told him. "That time the trickster made you big…"

"A twickstew? When?" Sam questioned. "I don't wemembew that."

"I'm not surprised. You were only four." John said. "I was hunting a trickster a couple of towns away from the motel I left you and Dean in. I caught up with the Loki but he got the upper hand; put me on a rack of all things. That was just the start, though. He decided he needed to teach me a lesson about leaving Dean to take care of you. So, he turned you into a twenty year old physically."

"A fouw yeaw old in a gwown man's body?" Sam gasped. "I bet that was fun."

"Oh yeah, it was loads of fun especially since you got sick right after that." John replied. "That's one doctor's visit I'd like to forget."

"Why?..."

"Good morning, gentlemen" the doctor greeted as he stepped into the cubicle. The raven haired, blue eyed physician appeared to be in his early thirties. Hooking a stool with his foot, he pulled it over to his patient, took a seat, and extended his hand. "Mr. Windham, it's nice to meet you. I'm Dr. Cassidy but you can call me Butch."

"Butch Cassidy?" John stated, failing to stop a snicker from leaving his lips.

"What can I say? My mom was a big Paul Newman fan." Dr. Cassidy informed the senior Winchester. Turning his attention to his patient, he whistled. "That's a mighty big boo-boo you've got there. Mind if I take a look at it?"

Recalling his father's words, Sam snuggled closer to John and buried his face in his dad's chest.

"Ah, a shy one, huh?" Butch voiced.

"Only at first" John advised. "Sammy warms up to people quickly though."

Nodding, Dr. Cassidy smiled at the toddler who was peering up at him from the safety of his father's arms. "Hey Sammy, can you tell me how you got that boo-boo?" he softly asked.

Sam glanced up at John. Getting an encouraging nod, he looked over at the doctor. "Uh huh, that bad boy pusht-ed Dean and him falled on me." He told the physician.

Butch thought over the boy's statement before turning to John for help. "Daddy, could you fill in the blanks for me?" Dr. Cassidy asked.

"Sure, Sammy and I were sitting at a table eating breakfast. My older son, Dean, was coming back from the buffet with his plate when another boy shoved him. Dean fell into Sammy's chair and the chair and both boys tumbled to the floor." John explained.

"Okay" Dr. Cassidy mumbled. He scribbled something on the chart in his hands and then set it on the exam table. "Sammy, did you hurt anything besides your head?"

Sam started to nod but thought better of it. His headache was bad enough as it was. Instead, he settled for pointing to his injured limb. "I hurted my hand." He told the doctor.

"Could I take a look at it?" Butch questioned. "I promise I'll be really careful."

"Okay" Sam agreed.

Dr. Cassidy took the tiny hand in his and gently prodded it. After finishing his examination of the boy's hand, he moved on to the knot on Sam's forehead. Shining his penlight in the toddler's eyes, he questioned the father about the accident. Once the exam was complete, he added some notes to his chart and then turned to John.

"Sammy's hand appears to be sprained but I'd like to get some x-rays just to make sure." Butch informed the senior Winchester.

"Do whatever you need to." John instructed.

"Alright, I'll go get everything set up." Dr. Cassidy said as he stood up. "A nurse should come in a few minutes to take him to x-ray. Once that's finished, I'll be back to go over them with you."

"Thank you doctor" John replied, shaking the man's hand. He watched the physician hurry out of the cubicle and then sat back to wait. 

SPN 

"What's taking so long?" Dean grumbled.

"Calm down boy. They haven't been back there that long." Bobby told the concerned youngster. "You know as well as I do that x-rays take time."

"Yeah but…"

"Excuse me" a shrill voice broke in.

Looking up, Dean saw the little old ladies that had been sitting beside them at the motel. Curious as to why they had followed them to the hospital, he started questioning them. "Aren't you the ladies from the motel? What are you doing here?"

"Dean, manners" Bobby scolded. Turning to the elderly women, he smiled. "What can we do for you ladies?"

"My sisters and I just wanted to make sure the little one was alright." Sarah, the tallest of the three, replied.

"And to give him this." Betty, the middle sister added, handing Spot to Dean. "It was left on the table and we knew he'd be missing it."

"Thank you ma'am" Dean politely said.

"It was no trouble at all, darling." Sarah cooed. "Such nice manners, your father must be very proud."

Dean ducked his head as a blush spread across his face.

"Yes, if only that little troublemaker had your manners. Then none of this would have happened." Ruth, the oldest of the ladies, lamented.

"Did the management do anything about that punk?" Bobby asked.

"No, they didn't." Sarah replied. "But you don't have to worry about him. We fixed his little red wagon and good."

"Really? What did you do?" Dean curiously inquired, wondering what three old ladies could possible do to get back at the brat.

"Nothing really, we just gave him some chocolate." Ruth innocently answered. The smirk on her face was anything but innocent.

"Chocolate? He hurts Sammy and you give him chocolate?" Dean growled.

"Of course, he still looked hungry so I gave him half of my chocolate bar. See?" Ruth explained, holding the bar up for Dean and Bobby to see.

Bobby took one look at the Ex-Lax wrapper and burst out laughing. "You gave him that?" he chuckled.

"He ate it?" Dean asked, giggling at the idea of the bully downing the laxative.

"He ate every drop." Sarah proudly informed the boy. "I don't think he'll be bothering anyone else for a long time."

"You ladies are awesome!" Dean praised.

"Thank you Sweetie" Ruth said. "Well, I guess we should be going."

"Why don't you wait with us for a while?" Bobby offered. "I'm sure Sammy would love to see you."

"If you're sure." Betty answered. Sitting down, the ladies joined the hunters in the long wait. 

SPN 

Dr. Cassidy strode back into the exam room. "I've got some good news, Mr. Windham. The x-rays confirmed that Sammy's wrist is just sprained." He announced, pulling the supplies he would need out of the cabinet on the far wall. "I'll have it wrapped in no time." He pulled his stool over, took a seat and carefully wrapped the Ace bandage around the toddler's hand, wincing at every whimper. "I'd like to give him a pain reliever, also. Just a mild one to take the edge off all the pain we put him through getting the x-rays."

"Okay" John replied.

"Good, I'll have a nurse come in and administer the s-h-o-t." Butch said, spelling the last word so it wouldn't upset his patient. Looking at said patient, he smiled. "Bye Sammy, you be a good boy for your daddy, alright?"

"Okay" Sam answered, resisting the urge to sigh. He had hoped he would get out of here without hearing the "s" word. Leaning back against his dad, he watched the doctor leave. Keeping his eyes on the curtain, the littlest Winchester readied himself for his coming performance. Minutes later, the matronly nurse bustled into the room carrying the dreaded injection. Willing the tears to his eyes, Sammy started screaming. "No! No shot daddy! No shot!"

John picked his son up and cradled him to his chest. He one handedly unfastened the overall straps and buttons. After pushing the toddler's overalls and underwear down, the senior Winchester got a firm hold on the squirming, crying boy. "Shhh, buddy, daddy's got you." He soothed, grimacing as the nurse administered the shot. "It's okay. It's all over now. You're alright." Hearing the crying taper off as the medication took effect and the toddler fell asleep, John let out a relieved breath. He swiftly righted the boy's clothes and stood. Taking the sheet of instructions from the nurse, the father followed her out of the room and down the corridor. 

AN- For anyone wondering about the things John told Sam, the bit about Bobby is from the story "Becoming Uncle Bobby" and the part about the trickster comes from "What Sammys Can't Do".


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- I found out Friday that I passed the first test! One more to go and I'll be 2nd degree!

Previously on Supernatural- Taking the sheet of instructions from the nurse, the father followed her out of the room and down the corridor. 

SPN 

"No way!" Dean exclaimed.

"Yes way" Ruth responded with a grin. "The big bully deserved that and more for what he did to my Timmy and all the other little boys he terrorized."

"Oh man!" Dean giggled, "I wish I couldn't see that! I bet it was…DAD!" The eight year old leapt off his chair and raced over to the entryway where John was standing. Taking in the Ace bandage wrapped around his sibling's arm and the bruise peeking out from the gauze on his face, Dean frowned and began peppering his father with questions. "How's Sammy? Is he gonna be okay? What did the doctor say?"

"Calm down, Sport. Your brother's fine." John assured his eldest. "He just has a sprained wrist and a little bump on the head. It's nothing to worry about."

"Thank goodness" Sarah exclaimed, coming up behind Dean. "We were very worried about the little darling."

"And you are?" the Winchester patriarch warily asked.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Dean said, slapping his forehead. "Dad, meet Mrs. Sarah, Mrs. Ruth, and Mrs. Betty. They were sitting beside us at the hotel."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Windham," Ruth greeted. "We just wanted to check on the little one and make sure he was alright after that terrible accident."

"And to bring him this," Sarah added, handing John the stuffed dog.

"Thank you" John replied. Taking the animal, he carefully placed it in Sam's hand. He smiled as the toddler's snuggled it to his chest. "We would have been in big trouble at naptime if we didn't have Spot."

"We thought as much." Sarah told him.

Spotting the tear tracks on his little brother's face, Dean tugged on his dad's jacket to garner his attention. "Dad, why was Sammy crying?" he asked once his father looked his way.

"Oh, the nurse gave him a shot of pain meds." John simply explained.

"Great, that ought to make sitting in his car seat loads of fun." Dean grumbled.

"He'll be okay, Dean. He'll probably sleep most of the way." John advised before turning his attention to the ladies. "Ladies, I hate to cut this short but we have a long drive home."

"We understand." Ruth replied with a nod. "You gentlemen drive carefully."

"And take good care of those two precious boys." Sarah instructed as the ladies walked around John and headed for the sliding glass doors. "Good day, gentlemen"

"Bye, ladies. Thank you again for returning the dog." John called after the retreating figures. Looking down at Dean, he smiled. "Come on kiddo, let's get outta here."

"Okay dad" Dean answered, taking his father's hand and grinning for the benefit of the group of nurses walking past.

The small family quickly made their way out of the hospital and across the parking lot to the impala. Opening the back door, Dean climbed inside. He sat down beside Sam's booster seat, buckled himself in, and held out his hands to take his brother.

Shaking his head, John gently settled Sammy in his seat. Resting the toddler's head on his brother's shoulder, he carefully secured the boy in his seat before shutting the door. The Winchester patriarch then walked around the car and climbed in the driver's seat. After starting the engine, he slowly backed out of his space.

"Dad, is Sammy really going to be okay?" Dean asked.

"Yes Dean" John voiced as he pulled onto the highway. "Sam should be up and running rings around you in no time."

"The doc give you any special instructions? Bobby questioned. "Anything we should watch for?"

"Just the usual" John answered. "Keep an eye on him, keep his wrist wrapped, and give him children's pain reliever if he's hurting."

"Umm, dad we don't have any children's Tylenol." Dean quietly pointed out.

"I know. We passed a pharmacy on the way to the hospital. We can stop there and pick some up." John explained. About five miles down the road, he turned into the big chain pharmacy and parked the car. "Sit tight. I'll be back in a minute." He instructed before climbing out of the vehicle.

After John disappeared into the store, Bobby twisted around in his seat so he was facing the back seat. "How's Little Bit doing?" he asked.

"He's sleeping like a baby." Dean commented, brushing a stray bang out of his brother's face. "You know, I don't think he's slept this peacefully since the fire."

"Nightmares?" Bobby guessed.

"Yeah" Dean sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "They were so bad at first that he tried not to sleep. And he probably drank more coffee those first few weeks than he usually did in a year. This one time he conked out in the motel room while we were researching. And when he jerked awake from a nightmare, he asked me why I let him fall asleep; not why I didn't wake him up but why I let him go to sleep."

"He's been through a lot, Dean." The salvage owner observed. "It'll get better. Just keep being there for him."

"There's no place else I'd rather be." Dean replied. Spotting his dad coming out of the store with a large bag in his hand, the boy cocked his head to one side. "What in the world?" he muttered.

John opened the back door and leaned inside. He took a big box out of the bag before stowing the plastic sack in the floorboard under Sam's feet. Grabbing his pocket knife out of his back pocket, he swiftly cut open the top of the box. After replacing his knife, he then reached into the box. Pulling the queen sized blanket out of the box, he tossed it over both his boys before gently tucking them in.

"Daaad! Just put it around Sammy. I'm warm enough without it." Dean protested, pulling his arms out from under the baby blue blanket.

"Humor me, Dean" John grumbled.

"But"

"Dean" John warned.

"Yes sir" Dean replied, putting his arms back under the cover. He'd never admit it but the warmth of the blanket actually felt good.

"Good man" John praised, ruffling his son's hair much to Dean's chagrin.

Once John climbed back in the impala, the family started for home once more. They drove in companionable silence for the next few hours. Keeping the radio down in deference to the sleeping toddler, the men searched their memories for any information about tricksters while Dean quietly played his poker game and kept an eye on his brother at the same time.

It was almost lunchtime when Sammy finally woke up. Yawning, he frowned as he noticed a strange feeling in his mouth. Thinking Dean was up to his old tricks, he glanced down and then yanked his thumb out of his mouth, staring at it in disgust.

"Hey Sammy, how are you feeling?" Dean asked, scanning his little brother's face for any sign of pain.

"I'm okay Dean" Sam assured his brother. He shifted into a more comfortable position before tugging on the blanket.

"Leave it on, Sam" John ordered.

Sam dropped his hand onto his lap. Sighing, he leaned back in his seat. Knowing they wouldn't be stopping for a while, he snuggled closer to Dean and watched him play his game.

John snuck glances at Sam as he drove down the semi crowded highway. He put another hour's worth of road behind them and last night's hotel before he started seeing the first signs that his youngest was hurting. Wanting to get some food into the toddler before the pain became too bad, the senior Winchester began to search the billboards for an acceptable eating place. A few miles down the road he finally found what he was looking for. He took the next exit and then made a left. Pulling into the diner parking lot a couple of minutes later, John quickly parked and cut the engine. "Lunchtime boys" he announced.

"About time" Dean grumbled, patting his stomach as it loudly growled. "I was starting to think he was never gonna stop."

"Me too" Sam agreed, startling as his door was wrenched open. He looked up to see his dad leaning inside.

John dug the children's pain reliever out of the bag on the floorboard and stuffed it in his pocket before pulling the blanket off his sons. He tossed it on the back of the front seat and then unbuckled his youngest son's seat belt. Seeing Sammy reaching for him, he raised an eyebrow in surprise. Surmising that the boy must be hurting more than he thought, John scooped the toddler up and settled him on his hip. Then taking Dean's hand, he followed Bobby into the small restaurant.

The group made their way to the booth at the very back of the diner. Dean clambered into the vinyl seat and scooted to the middle of the semicircular bench. Bobby took a seat on one end while John and Sam sat on the opposite side. "You wanna sit by Dean, son?" John asked the toddler on his lap.

Leaning back against his father's chest, Sam gave a slight head shake. "No sir, I'm good." he mumbled. He knew he should be fighting to get off his dad's lap; that his actions were probably freaking out the other hunters. But at that moment, Sam just couldn't bring himself to care. He was tired and hurting and he needed the comfort his dad's embrace was providing. It had been a long time since his father had made him feel as safe and loved as he did right now.

John and Dean exchanged worried glances before looking back at the toddler. Knowing how badly the fiercely independent boy had to be hurting to act that way in public, the two elder Winchesters vowed to make this the fastest lunch ever.

Snagging a menu from behind the napkin dispenser, John used his overturned coffee mug to stand it up. He scanned the plastic board for the children's part of the menu. Finding none, he flipped it open and searched once more. Spying the kid's meals at the very bottom, the father pointed it out. "Do you know what you want to eat, buddy?" he softly asked.

Sam barely glanced at the faded menu before mumbling, "Grilled cheese"

Dean's eyes grew saucer wide at his brother's choice. Grilled cheese was one of Sam's comfort foods when he was sick. It ranked right up there with Bobby's hash brown casserole. If his little brother wanted a grilled cheese sandwich, he had to be in some major pain.

"Good afternoon gentlemen, my name is Mandy and I'll be your waitress today." A bubbly, young blond woman greeted as she bopped up to the table. "Do you know what you'd like or should I give you a few minutes?"

"We're ready" John hastily replied.

Mandy reached into her greasy apron pocket and pulled out a pad and pencil. She tapped the point of her pencil on the end of her tongue a couple of times before setting it on the paper. "Okay, shoot" she said.

John bit down on the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from voicing the remark that was just dying to come out. Reminding himself that his son was hurting, he swiftly schooled his expression and began his order. "I'll have the bacon cheeseburger meal with fries and coffee" he paused for a moment to let the waitress finish writing. "And Sammy will have the kid's grilled cheese with apple slices and chocolate milk."

"And for you?" Mandy asked, looking at Dean.

"Umm, the kid's double cheeseburger with extra onions, fries, and a coffee." Dean replied.

"He means a coke." John corrected, giving his eldest a look that dared him to disagree.

"I'll have the bacon cheeseburger meal with fries and coffee, too." Bobby ordered once the waitress glanced his way.

"Okay, that's two bacon cheeseburger meals with fries and coffee, one kid's double cheese extra onions with fries and a coke, and a kids grilled cheese with apples and chocolate milk." Mandy read back. "I'll go get your drinks now. Your order should be up shortly."

"Thank you" Bobby called after the waitress, who was already striding away. Spying a couple of video game machines over in one corner of the diner, he grinned. "Hey Dean, I see a shooting game over there. You up to getting your clock cleaned?"

"You're kidding, right? Dude, you're no match for me. Even on my worst day I could wipe the floor with you." Dean teased.

"Put up or shut up" Bobby challenged.

"I don't know, Bobby" Dean hedged, sneaking a peek at his little brother.

"Go ahead, Dean" John encouraged. "I promise I'll call you the second the food gets here."

Dean thought it over before hesitantly nodding. "Okay" he agreed before turning to his dad. "But you better not touch my cheeseburger."

"Get outta here" John grumbled as he playfully swatted at the back of Dean's head.

Laughing, Dean slid out of the booth and bounded over to the video games.

John filled with pride as he watched his eldest expertly handling the toy rifle. He hoped Bobby knew what he was getting into. Feeling Sam shifting around in his lap, the Winchester patriarch looked down in concern. "You alright, Sammy?" he asked.

"Uh huh" Sam replied, keeping his eyes shut tight.

John didn't buy it. But he didn't call the boy on the fib. He knew if he did, Sam would try to act normally to convince his dad that nothing was wrong. And the only thing that would do is amp up the pain the toddler was feeling. So John had to settle for covertly comforting his youngest while pretending to believe the lie. He picked Sammy up and sat him on the other side of his lap before snuggling his son into his side. Slowly rubbing circles in the toddler's back, John hoped their meal came soon.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- One more chapter and maybe an epilog should do it.

For anyone wondering about my other SPN stories: when I finish this one, I'm going to start back on one of the others. Not sure which one yet. I'll have to see which one I can get going.

Previously on Supernatural- Slowly rubbing circles in the toddler's back, John hoped their meal came soon.

SPN 

"Here you go, gentlemen" Mandy voiced as she stepped up to the booth. Balancing her tray on one hand, she carefully set the four plates of food on the Winchester's table. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"No, we're good." John replied.

"Alright, well just let me know if you need something." The bubbly waitress told the hunter. "Oh, I almost forgot. We have a clean plate club for the kids. Any child that eats all their food gets a free small ice cream."

"Hear that, Sammy? You and Dean can have ice cream for dessert." John intoned, grinning as the toddler eagerly reached for his sandwich. Little Sammy had always loved the cool treat and would eat it whenever he could. The kid could be puking his guts out and he'd still down a bowl of ice cream. Apparently some things hadn't changed. _'I wonder what else…'_ his thoughts were interrupted by a tiny hand patting his chest. "You need something, Sammy?"

Sam started to nod before thinking better of it. "Yeah, can you pass me my milk?" the toddler asked. Taking the offered jug, he set it between his knees and wrapped his good hand around the lid. He struggled to unscrew the top one handedly, cursing under his breath as the whole plastic bottle turned every time.

"Need a hand there, buddy?" John questioned. Taking the milk jug from his son, he swiftly uncapped the drink and handed it the disgruntled boy.

"Thanks, dad" Sam said. He took a couple of sips before giving it back to his father. The littlest Winchester glanced across the room at Dean and Bobby, who were still engrossed in their game, and then looked up at John. "Awen't you going to call Dean and Bobby?"

"I will. I just need to do one thing first." John stated as he reached over and pulled his eldest son's plate closer to him.

Sam giggled as he watched his dad. Dean was gonna go ballistic when he saw what their father had done to his lunch. "I can't believe you did that." He snickered. "Dean's gonna be pi…mad."

"Tough" John replied, returning his son's dimpled grin with one of his one. "He shouldn't have told me not to touch it." He schooled his expression before looking over at the two game playing hunters and motioning for them to come back.

Dean bounded over to the table and quickly plopped down on the vinyl seat. "Man, lunch smells awesome!" he exclaimed as he scooted around the booth to his plate. He reached for his cheeseburger, stopping as he caught sight of the crescent shaped hole on one side. Knowing exactly who had messed with his burger, he glared over at John. "Daaaad" he whined.

"Yes, Dean?" John replied, doing his best to look innocent.

"Dude, I told you to keep your mitts off my burger!" Dean growled, pinning his dad with the same glare that had most men quaking in their boots. Unfortunately for the boy, that death glare looked absolutely adorable on the eight year old's face.

John had to fight the urge to laugh at the miffed kitten expression being sent his way. Smirking mischievously at his eldest, the hunter scoffed. "I have no idea what you're talking about son. My hands never touched your food." He argued.

"Really dad? Then what do you call this?" Dean challenged, holding his plate in his father's face.

"Hmmm" John muttered, studying the chomped on cheeseburger. "Looks like somebody took a bite outta your burger, Sport."

"Not somebody, you" Dean corrected as he set his plate back down and angrily crossed his arms. "Come on dad, admit it! You put your grubby hands on my burger and took a bite out of it!"

"Dean, I'm telling you the truth. My hands never touched your burger." John reiterated, stressing the word 'hands'. "Isn't that right, Sammy?"

"Dad's telling you the truth, Dean. He didn't use his hands." Sam told his brother. Breaking into a dimpled grin, he added, "He used his mouth."

John's mouth dropped open in shock. Staring down at the little tattle tale in his lap, he opened and closed his mouth several times before managing to stammer out, "Sammy, what the He-heck! You, you're supposed to have my back."

Sam's wide hazel eyes peered up at his flabbergasted father. "Sowwy dad" he apologized, patting the man's chest. "I didn't have a choice. I can't wisk having Dean angry with me. I have to wide in the back seat with him and his extwa onions."

Chuckling at the toddler's explanation, John nodded. "Can't fault you for that, son." he said, gently ruffling Sam's chestnut mop. Turning to his scowling eldest, he smiled. "As for you, Dean, I didn't have a choice either. If I didn't take a bite of your cheeseburger before you got your hands on it, I wouldn't have been able to do this." The Winchester patriarch picked up Dean's small burger, exchanging it for his own. "Better?"

"Oh yeah" Dean agreed, taking a huge bite of his new burger.

Seeing the eight year old happily stuffing his face, the rest of the group quickly dug into their own meals. The four hunters pooled their knowledge about tricksters as they ate lunch and their dessert. By the time they finished eating, they were no closer to a solution than they had been at the beginning of their current predicament.

John pulled the children's Tylenol out of his jacket pocket and ripped open the plastic. He unscrewed the cap and dumped two of the meltaway tablets in his hand. "Take these chewables, Sammy" he ordered, dropping the tablets in the toddler's hand. Seeing his youngest open his mouth to protest, he shook his head. "That's an order, kiddo"

Sighing, Sam reluctantly chewed up the bubble gum flavored tablets. Taking his milk jug from his dad, the little boy drank the rest of his chocolate milk before setting the plastic bottle on the table.

"Alright guys, let's hit the john and…oof!" John gasped as twin punches smacked solidly on his ribs. His eyebrows shot up under his hairline as he gazed down at his two snickering children. "What the He-heck did you do that for?"

"You told us to daddy." Sam stated, his eyes twinkling with merriment.

"I most certainly did not." John threw back.

"Yes you did." Dean countered, grinning wickedly. "You said to hit John so we did."

"They got you there, Johnny boy!" Bobby chuckled.

John sent the older hunter a one fingered salute before looking down at his two little miscreants, the hurt clear on his face. "So that's the thanks I get for being Mr. Nice Guy, huh?" he huffed.

"We'we sowwy, dad. We wewe just teasing." Sam apologized.

"Yeah dad, we didn't mean anything by it." Dean added.

"No, no, I get it. I do. You just don't respect your old man anymore." John sighed.

"Dad, we didn't…"

"It's okay, Dean. I understand. And I want you two to know that…" John paused for moment before adding "It is on!"

Relaxing at the sight of their dad's grin, the brothers giggled. "Dude, you are so going down!" Dean declared.

"I'll be sure to remind you of that when I win." John cockily replied.

"I hate to break up this little tete-a-tete but if we don't get a move on, the only person winning anything will be the trickster." Bobby advised.

"Bobby's right. We need to hit the j-bathrooms and get on the road. We still have a long drive." John said, grimacing when he noticed the dark, cloudy sky. "And it looks like it's going to be a rough trip, weather wise."

All eyes shot to the window. Surveying the heavy, grey clouds, the rest of the hunters sighed. They could tell the second half of the day was not going to be a pleasant trip.

John picked up Sammy and climbed out of their booth. Holding out his free hand, he waited for Dean to grasp it before walking between the booths and tables to the men's restroom.

Once they were finished, the small family piled back into the impala and started out once again. With the radio softly playing, they watched as the first snowflakes fell to the frozen ground.

About ten minutes into the drive, Bobby noticed that the back seat passengers had gotten very quiet. Wondering what mischief the boys were plotting, he discreetly glanced into the rearview mirror to check on the devious duo. "Well, I'll be." The hunter muttered, smiling at the sight of both boys asleep; Dean with his head on top of Sam's while the toddler's head was resting on his big brother's shoulder.

"They asleep?" John asked, risking a peek in the rearview.

"Yeah" Bobby replied.

"It never fails. Get those two fed and they're out like lights." John informed his friend. "After meals was the only time this car was ever quiet when they were little. Any other time there was laughter or talking or whining, not to mention a lot of arguing."

"Think they'll sleep till we get to my place?" Bobby inquired.

"Not a chance" the Winchester patriarch replied.

"Figures" Bobby grumbled. Leaning back against the bench seat, he laid his head on the headrest and closed his eyes. He wanted to enjoy the quiet while it lasted. 

SPN 

Dean awoke to find the impala stopped and his dad no longer in front of him. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he sat up and looked around. He was surprised to see snow steadily falling and the ground already lightly covered.

"We just stopped to gas up the car." Bobby needlessly told the youngster. Turning around in his seat, he eyed the eight year old. "You need to make a pit stop?"

"Naw, I'm good." Dean replied, grabbing the snack bag out of the floorboard. He pulled out some chips and slowly ripped them open. "What about you?" he asked, tossing a couple of Doritos in his mouth. "You need to…"

'_Don't break my heart, my achy breaky heart'_ blared from Bobby's cell, cutting Dean off mid-question. Cursing the two pranksters in the backseat, the salvage owner snatched the phone out of his shirt pocket and flipped it open. "Singer...Josh, about time you called back…well…listen…would you shut up for a minute and listen!" Wincing as Sam whimpered, Bobby whispered, "Hang on a minute, Josh" and quickly slid out of the impala.

"Shhh, Sammy" Dean soothed, carding a hand through his little brother's chestnut locks. Smiling as the toddler settled back down, the elder sibling turned his attention to Bobby. He watched the man pace back and forth as he had what seemed to be a heated discussion with Joshua. A few minutes later, the senior hunter nodded, signaling that the conversation was coming to an end. He waited for his old friend to climb back into the classic Chevy before softly asking, "You get Josh to do what you wanted him to?"

"Don't I always?" Bobby countered, eliciting a snort from Dean.

John chose that moment to return. Clambering in the driver's seat and shutting the door, he brushed the snow off his shoulders. "It's really coming down out there now." he observed as he started the car and pulled out of the station.

"Yeah about that" Bobby began, crossing his fingers that the hardheaded hunter would listen to sense. "I was thinking it might be a good idea to find a hotel to hole up in for the night."

"What? Bobby it's barely five in the afternoon. We can be at your place by at least two, midnight if the snow clears some." John replied.

"Johnny, the snow's not gonna let up. It'll just get worse; you know that." Bobby chided. "Besides, Sammy needs to be sleeping in a bed, not some car seat. He ain't doing his wrist or his head any favors sleeping like that."

"Dad, maybe Bobby's…"

"No Dean, we're not stopping. We can't. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. We've got to get to Bobby's and find a way to reverse this before the trickster finishes whatever it is he's planning." John reasoned.

"I've got that covered, John. Josh called while you were inside paying for gas. I brought him up to date on the situation and he's going to my place to research for us until we get there." Bobby explained. "I told him what books to look in and where to find them. He finds anything, he'll call us a.s.a.p. Come on, Johnny. What do you say?"

"Please dad, Sammy really needs lie down and prop up his hand. It's pretty swollen." Dean chimed in, pinning his dad with his own version of his brother's puppy dog eyes.

John glanced at Bobby before looking back at his sons and nodding. "Okay" he agreed. "But if this clears…"

"We hightail it outta here." Bobby finished.

"Agreed" Dean seconded.

Nodding, John slowly turned onto the next exit. He had a hotel to find.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- Nodding, John slowly turned onto the next exit. He had a hotel to find. 

SPN 

Sam awoke to find himself lying on a soft, flat surface. _'I slept all the way to Bobby's?_' he wondered as he snuggled further down in the warm comforter and listened to the sounds of someone shuffling around the room. Recognizing Bobby's heavy gait, he waited to hear the echoing footsteps of his dad or his brother. When neither came, the youngster bolted upright and snapped open his eyes. He scanned the unfamiliar room with a frown.

Hearing the blankets rustling, Bobby looked over at the bed. Seeing the littlest Winchester sitting up fisting his eyes, he smiled. "Hey Sam, feeling better?" he asked.

"Yeah, actually I am" Sammy replied with a nod. "Bobby, whewe awe we?"

"We are at the Marshal Dillion Inn and Suites in the beautiful town of Dodge City, Kansas." The salvage owner informed the toddler. "The snow flurries turned into more of a snow storm so your dad decided to find a place to hole up till it blew over."

"My dad stopped because of a snow stowm?" Sam questioned the disbelief clear in his voice.

"Okay, so maybe he was persuaded to pull off." Bobby revised.

Sam snickered. "That sounds more like it. Bet you had to do some fast talking to get him to agwee."

"You don't know the half of it. That pig-headed father of yours was bound and determined to make it to my place or die trying." Bobby related. "Dean and I had to double team him to get the stubborn SOB to even consider it."

"What finally tuwned the tide?" the littlest Winchester curiously asked.

"Two things" Bobby answered, holding up two fingers. "First, I told him Josh was headed to my place to start researching the trickster. And second and most importantly, you."

"Me?" Sam gasped.

"Yeah, as soon as Dean said that riding like that was exacerbating your injuries your dad took the first exit off the highway." Bobby explained.

"Weally?" the toddler asked.

"Of course kiddo, why wouldn't he?" Bobby replied, frowning at the expression on the little boy's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" Sam mumbled, dropping his gaze to the blanket covering his lap.

"I'm not buying what you're selling, kid." Bobby huffed. He walked over and took a seat on the bed beside the toddler. Grasping the boy's chin, he tilted it up until they were eye to eye. "Now spill. What's going in in that big ole head of yours?"

Sam sighed. "It's, it's just he, he" he stammered before blurting out, "He never cared before."

"You know that's not true, Sam." Bobby softly disagreed.

"Yes, it is." The youngster argued. "One of us being sick ow huwt nevew stopped him from dwiving all day to get to the next hunt. If we complained, we wewe told to suck it up. People wewe dying and that was mowe impowtant than some little cold."

"Ahh buddy, I'm so sorry" Bobby soothed, wrapping an arm around the toddler and pulling him close.

Sam snuggled into his surrogate father's side, soaking up the comfort being offered. "You know, as bad as it was fow me, it was wowse for Dean. When I was the one undew the weathew, I had Dean to take care of me. He'd sit in the back with me and do whatevew he could to make the wide easiew on me. I twied to do the same for him when he was ill but he wouldn't let me. Dean would wide shotgun and pwetend he was okay no mattew how bad he felt." He disclosed.

Bobby ran a hand up and down the trembling toddler's arm. "I knew Johnny was no father of the year but I didn't realize it was that bad." He admitted. "If I had, I would've taken you boys from him."

"I know." Sam replied, gracing the older man with a dimpled grin.

"For what it's worth, I think he knows he screwed up where you two were concerned and he's trying to do things right this time around. He'll do right by you if you'll let him." The senior hunter offered. "What do you say? You up to giving the old coot a second chance?"

Sam nodded. "Umm, Bobby, where is the old coot?" he asked.

"He went out to play in the snow with your brother." Bobby answered with a shrug.

"Dad and Dean? They're, they're playing?" Sam incredulously questioned.

"Yep, the big bad demon hunters are out frolicking in the snow." Bobby said as he pulled out his cell phone. "And I have the pictures to prove it."

"Gimme" Sam squealed, reaching for the phone. Taking the cell from his friend, he set it in his lap and flipped it open. After punching a few buttons, he doubled over laughing. "These awe awesome, Bobby!"

"Yeah, I figure there's enough blackmail material there for the next decade at least." The junk yard owner told the toddler. Taking his cell back from the boy, Bobby stuffed it in his pocket. "You wanna go join them?"

"Nah, I'll pass. I don't think I'm up to fwolicking wight now." Sam replied, wincing mentally as the older man's expression went from jolly to mother henning in a split second. "I'm okay, Bobby. I just don't want to push my luck. Besides, Dean needs this time with dad. He's weally missed dad whether he wants to admit it or not."

"Okay, I'll go with that…for now." Bobby said, giving the tiny hunter a knowing look. "So, what now? You feel up to watching a movie or something?"

Sam grinned. "Actually, I have a better idea." He answered as he slid off the bed. He tottled over to the white, plastic bags in one corner of the room and started searching through them. After sifting through half the bags, he finally came across what he'd been looking for. Holding up his treasure, he asked, "Wanna build a space ship?" 

SPN 

An hour later two wet Winchesters stumbled in the door. "Hit the shower, Dean. I don't want you catching a cold." John ordered, toeing off his shoes.

"Yes sir" Dean agreed, pulling his boots off as well. Snagging some dry clothes out of one of the plastic bags, he rushed into the bathroom and shut the door.

Striding further into the room, John pulled off his coat and slung it over the back of one of the chairs. Walking into the bedroom, he grabbed his duffle off the floor by the first bed before going back in the small sitting room. After retrieving a towel from the rack above the sinks, the cold hunter drug a chair over to the room's heater and plopped down. He swiftly shed his long sleeved shirt and under shirt, toweled his upper body dry, and pulled on some clean shirts. Then he stood and peeled his wet blue jeans and boxers off, toweled, and changed once more. Once that was done, the Winchester patriarch trudged back into the bedroom. Taking a seat on the end of his bed, he quickly exchanged his wet socks for a pair of dry ones before glancing over at his youngest. "Whatcha making there, Sammy?" he inquired.

"A space shuttle" Sam simply replied as he snapped another piece on the top of the long block rectangle Bobby was holding.

"I take it you're feeling better then." John observed as he stood and shuffled over to his son's bed.

"Yes sir" Sam answered, stilling as his dad quickly examined the lump on his head as well as his sprained wrist. "I'm sowwy we had to stop because of me. We can get back on the woad now."

"Nothing to be sorry for champ" John assured his youngest. "The snow was coming down too hard to keep going anyway."

"Oh" Sam muttered, fixing his gaze on his partially finished shuttle. He should have known him being hurt had nothing to do with them stopping. It never mattered before. Why should now be any different?

John frowned as he took in the change in the toddler's behavior. He knew the slumped shoulders and bowed head meant he'd screwed up again but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out how. Not for the first time, he wondered why Sam couldn't be more like his older brother. He never had any trouble understanding Dean. Dean was always…John was drawn out of his thoughts by a tiny drop of water splashing onto the sheet of instructions in Sam's lap. _'Crap, I didn't mean to make the kid cry.' _The senior Winchester thought with a frown. Seeing his boy scrub a hand across his face, he resolved to fix things. He opened his mouth and softly said, "Sammy? Sammy, I…"

"DAD! I'm out!" Dean bellowed from the bathroom doorway. "The shower's all yours!"

John took one more look at his upset youngest before beating a hasty retreat. He dashed to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Letting out a relieved breath, the father walked over and turned on the shower. He'd let Dean smooth things over with Sammy for him. He was better at it anyway.

"What was dad's problem? I haven't seen him run that fast since…" Dean stopped as he caught sight of his sniffling little brother. _'Yep, I should've known. That's why he ran last time.'_ The eight year old thought. Going over to the bed, he quickly climbed up beside Sam. Wrapping the youngster in a one armed hug, the elder brother snuggled him close. "What's a matter, little brother? You hurting again?" he asked.

Sighing, Sam scrubbed a hand across his eyes once more. He really hated this leaky, baby body of his. He looked up at his big brother, giving him a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "No, I'm okay." The little boy assured Dean. "I just got something in my eyes."

Dean was going to call bullshit but a shake of Bobby's head made him think better of it. He'd humor the kid for the time being. He wasn't giving up, however. He'd find out what their dad had done to upset Sammy. He just had to wait for the right time to broach the subject. For now though, he had a little brother to cheer up. Taking the partially finished space shuttle from Bobby, Dean eyed it critically before handing it back. "What the crap are you making, Picasso? A lop-sided ash tray?"

"Picasso was a paintew, jewk" Sam huffed.

"And your point is?" Dean threw back.

The corners of Sam's lip curled up as he rolled his eyes at his big brother. Dean could be such a...he startled as Mission Impossible theme blared from Bobby's front pocket.

Bobby leveled a death glare at Dean before snatching his phone out of his pocket and flipping it open. "What?" he growled. "Oh, hey Josh, sorry about that…yeah? Okay hang on a minute." The salvage owner handed the incomplete shuttle model to Dean before standing and making his way out of the room.

"You think Josh found something?" Sam asked as he put another piece on his ship.

"Definitely" Dean replied. Setting the Lego vehicle on the blankets, he jumped off the bed and held out his hand. "Come on, let's find out what's up."

Nodding, Sam slid off the bed and silently followed his brother to the partially open door. Putting their ears to the crack, they attempted to overhear the older hunter's conversation. Unable to hear anything, the two took a step back to regroup.

"On three" Dean whispered in Sam's ear. Creeping back to the door, he carefully grasped the knob. He finger counted to three before turning the handle and pushing the door open enough for the two to slide through. Motioning for Sam to get behind him, Dean stepped through the opening only to jump back as a long pair of legs suddenly appeared.

"You boys going somewhere?" John asked, chuckling at his son's defensive stances.

"Geez, dad, warn a guy why don't you!" Dean grumbled. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

John fondly shook his head. "And just who did you think was coming? Bloody Mary?" he teased as he ushered the boys back to the bed.

"Don't even joke about that." Sam muttered, paling as parts of that particular hunt flashed through his mind.

"What?" John asked, taking a seat on the bed and pulling Sammy into his lap. "Bloody Mary is just a…"

"No she's not, dad." Dean interrupted. "We had a run in with her a few months ago."

"Really? How'd you banish her?" John curiously questioned.

"Can we please not talk about it?" Sam begged.

Feeling the toddler in his lap shiver, John quickly agreed. "Sure buddy"

"Why don't we talk about what to eat for supper?" Dean suggested. "I don't know about you guys but I'm starving."

"You'we always stawving, Dean" Sam helpfully pointed out.

"Hey, I can't help it. I'm a growing boy." Dean huffed.

"Yeah, but which way are you gwowing?" Sam asked, holding his arms in front of him to make a large belly.

"Dude, there's not one bit of fat on this body." Dean claimed as he struck a muscle man pose. "See? Nothing but muscle"

Bobby walked into the bedroom, took one look at the eight year old, and shook his head. "I'm not even gonna ask." He commented.

"Bobby, what did Josh say? Did he find a way to change us back?" Sam excitedly inquired.

"Well, I've got some good news and some bad news." Bobby replied, scratching his beard. "The good news is that the trickster was telling the truth. All the lore Josh found says that the Loki has to grant one true wish a year. It started out being the last day of the calendar year. But then in the 4th century Western Christianity put Jesus's birthday on December 25th and for some unknown reason, the trickster's good deed switched to the week of Christmas."

"Okay" Dean sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "And the bad news?"

"Afraid you two are stuck like this until midnight Christmas Day." Bobby informed them. "Josh said he hasn't been able to find a way to reverse the Loki's spell." Seeing the boys' faces fall, he swiftly added, "But he promised he'd keep looking."

John processed the information for a moment before nodding. "Okay, then there's only one thing for us to do." He remarked.

"What's that, Johnny?" Bobby asked, hoping the hard head wasn't planning on loading the boys back in the car and hauling tail.

"Yeah, what's the plan, dad?" Dean eagerly questioned.

John smiled as he gazed down at his boys. "The plan, Dean, is to have a good old, family Christmas."

"Wha?" Sam gasped. "Dad, you can't mean…"

"I can and I do, Sammy" John broke in, tousling the toddler's hair. "We've been given a gift and I for one plan on enjoying every minute of it."

"But what about hunting?" Dean protested. "There's always an influx of supernatural crap around Christmas."

"There are plenty of other hunters, Dean." John pointed out. "They'll just have to handle things for a few days."

"Dad, did you fall in the showew and hit youw head?" Sam queried, reaching up to feel the back of his father's head.

"No, Sammy I didn't fall." John assured his son. Capturing the boy's hands, he placed them back in the toddler's lap. "I just, I meant that wish. I've wanted to go back and do things right for a long time. And now that I've gotten that chance, I don't want to waste it."

"But"

"No buts" John sternly said, putting a finger over Dean's mouth to silence him. "The Winchesters are having a traditional family Christmas and that's that."

Hearing the boys' stomach growl, Bobby laughed. "Sounds like your holiday needs to start with supper."

"What do you mean, your holiday? You are a part of this family, too; a very important part." John sincerely told his friend.

"John, I, I don't know what to say."

"Oh man, I'm gonna be sick!" Dean groaned. "They sound like one of those Hallmark Christmas specials!"

"Christmas specials? What a great idea!" John exclaimed, patting his eldest on the back. "We'll have to see what's on when we get back from supper."

"Way to go big brother." Sam muttered.

"Hey, at least I didn't mention the, mmmm" Dean glared at his little brother whose hand was clamped over his mouth.

"You say something, Dean?" John asked, looking down at his boys.

"He didn't say anything, dad" Sam innocently replied before yelping as his hand was licked. Pulling his wet appendage back, he hastily wiped it on the blanket. "Eww, Dean, that's disgusting."

"Made you let go, didn't it?" Dean fired back with a smirk.

Scowling, Sam patted his father's chest to get his attention. "Dad, I need to go wash my hand. Dean slobbered on it." he said, holding up his uninjured hand.

"Okay, kiddo let's get you washed up." John replied. He stood and carried the toddler to the bathroom.

Dean watched his father and brother leave the room before turning to his friend. "Bobby, I think dad has officially lost it." he announced.

"Your dad isn't losing it, Dean. He's just enjoying having his little boys back." Bobby explained. "Think about it, kid. How many times have you wished Sam was your little shadow again?"

"Too many to count" Dean admitted. "But this is dad we're talking about."

"Son, don't you think Johnny feels the same way? The man may be the big macho hunter but he's still human. He made a ton of mistakes when you and Sammy were growing up. And being away from you two has finally made him realize that." Bobby theorized. "Now he has a chance to make up for some of it. I can't blame him for taking advantage of it. There's a lot of things I'd like to do over, too."

"Me, too Bobby, me, too" Dean mumbled.

John walked back into the room carrying Sam on his back. Seeing the looks on the other two members of his family, he sighed. "What's with the long faces?"

"Oh, we were just trying to decide on what to eat." Bobby smoothly lied.

"Yeah, we're thinking of ordering in pizza but we aren't sure what toppings." Dean fibbed.

"Pizza?" John repeated, making a face. "Dean, you don't eat pizza in a stuffy hotel room at Christmas time. You go to a nice restaurant and eat a real Christmas dinner."

"Tuwkey and dwessing?" Sam questioned, licking his lips.

"You got it, buddy" John answered. He swung the toddler around before setting him on his feet. "Go get your shoes and coats on, boys. We are going to that fancy restaurant beside our hotel for a proper Christmas dinner."

Whooping, Sam raced out of the room with Dean hot on his heels. They swiftly pulled on their shoes, mittens, hats, and jackets. The excited boys waited impatiently for their dad and Bobby to get ready before leading the way out of the room and across the lobby.

Stepping out into the cold night air, John looked out at the sea of white. Realizing Sammy was too short to walk through the deep snow, he scooped up the toddler and hoisted him onto his shoulders. Grasping the boy's ankles, he carefully led the way across the snow covered parking lot to the long, wooden building beside it. The Winchester patriarch past the row of rocking chairs and entered the warm store. He weaved around the racks of shirts and tables of nick-nacks to the sign in podium. After reciting how many were in their party, he followed the waitress through the restaurant to a table right in front of a roaring fire. Sliding Sammy off his shoulder, John sat him in the booster seat the waitress had brought before taking a seat next to him. Opening his menu, he couldn't help but smile. This was going to be the best Christmas ever!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing. 

AN- One more part to go! I'll try to get it up next week but I have a black belt seminar next Saturday and the Saturday after that is testing so I may not have time. 

Previously on Supernatural- This was going to be the best Christmas ever! 

SPN 

"Man, if that's a traditional Christmas dinner, I think Christmas should be every week." Dean excitedly proposed, rubbing his full belly.

"Me too" Sam said, nodding his head in agreement.

"There's no reason we couldn't eat like this every once in a while." John told his sons as he ushered them out of the restaurant. "We'll just pick a day and that will be our family day every week. Sound good?"

"Yes sir" Dean replied. Stepping out of the eating part of the establishment, he found himself facing an enormous wooden table covered with desserts. He looked from one delicious pie to another, his mouth watering at the sight of so many pies in such a small area.

John grinned as he watched his boys drool over the various desserts. Knowing they still had a long trip ahead of them, he decided to grant the unspoken request he saw in their eyes. "Why don't you two pick a dessert for us to take back to the room?" he suggested, kneeling down between his surprised sons. "Go ahead, boys. Pick one. I see apple, cherry, and lemon meringue. Oh, and look Dean! They have pecan pie! That was your favorite, right? How about we get one of those?"

The smile slid off Sam's face as he listened to his dad extoll the virtues of pecan pie before picking one of the pies up. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised that his dad didn't remember his pecan allergy but that didn't make it hurt any less. Taking a step back from the table, he held back a sigh.

It took every ounce of Bobby's strength to stop himself from smacking the Winchester patriarch. He couldn't believe the idgit could remember the first time Dean tried pecan pie but not what happened a couple of months later, especially considering the foreshadowing that occurred that day. The particular time with the Winchesters was etched in Bobby's brain but for a completely different reason than John's it appeared. The salvage owner recalled Dean chattering excitedly about his new favorite pie. Wanting to share his find, the kid had tried everything to get his little brother to try a bite of "the most awesome tasting pie in the world" but Sammy had stubbornly refused. Dean had kept at it though until he finally wore the younger boy down. Sammy took one miniscule bite before declaring the pie yucky. The scratching started shortly after that. Finding a rash on Sammy's chest and back, the hunters had chalked it up to something Sammy must have gotten into at school. John had made the boy take an oatmeal bath, slathered calamine lotion on the hives, and given his youngest a dose of Benadryl. The rash had disappeared after a few days and they didn't think any more of it; at least not until a couple of months later when John got the results of Sammy's allergy testing. The man had almost blown a gasket when he'd realized what could have happened with the pie tasting. He remembered…a hand on his shoulder startled Bobby out of his thoughts. Looking up into his friend's concerned face, the hunter winced at being caught in lala land. "What'd you say, Johnny?" he questioned, hoping his friend hadn't noticed his little trip.

"I asked if you were ready to go." John filled in with a frown. "You okay, Bobby?"

"Yeah, I was just trying to decide which of these delicious looking desserts I should get." Singer fibbed before picking up one of the double chocolate cakes. The youngest Winchester had been a chocoholic when he was a lad and Bobby figured that hadn't changed. "Think I'll go with this one." Seeing Sam's eyes light up, the older man knew he'd made the right choice.

"Bobby, you don't have to…"

"Nonsense" Bobby interrupted. "If we're going to do this Christmas thing, we're doing it right. And that includes having enough sweets to choke a horse. Right, boys?"

"Yes sir" Dean and Sam enthusiastically answered.

John shrugged. "Your funereal" he muttered. Grinning at the scowl his words brought, he motioned to the register. "Come on, let's get this stuff paid for and get back to the motel. There's Christmas specials to watch!"

Groaning, Dean and Sammy followed their dad towards the check out. 

SPN 

After paying for their meal and desserts, the group of hunters donned their heavy jackets and stepped back out into the cold. Switching the pie box from his right hand to his left, John turned to pick up his youngest only to find Sam already settled on Bobby's hip. Frowning, the senior Winchester took Dean by the hand and quickly led the way back across the parking lot to their home for the night. Arriving at their room, he pulled the key card out of his coat pocket and inserted it into the door. John opened the door and stepped inside. He swiftly scanned the room for trouble before giving the all clear to the others.

Once they'd shed their winter wear, Dean and Sam raced into the sitting room and plopped down on the sofa. Snatching up the remote, the elder brother turned on the TV and flicked through the channels. Stopping on one of the Saw movies, the two boys sat back and made themselves comfortable.

John took one look at the horror flick on the screen and promptly shook his head. Wrestling the remote from Dean, the ex-Marine took a seat beside his boys and changed channels until he found cartoon elves singing about toy making. "There, that's better" he declared.

"Daaaad" Dean whined. "We were watching that!"

"Yeah, it was just getting to the good pawt!" Sam added.

"Sorry boys, no horror movies tonight. We're having a family Christmas and that includes watching all the specials you two used to sit glued to the TV watching." John replied in his no nonsense tone, letting the brothers know there would be no talking their dad out of it.

Sighing, Dean and Sam settled in for a night of children's cartoon specials. 

SPN 

Two Christmas cartoons and a live action Grinch movie later, John sent Sam to take his bath. The boy dashed into the bathroom more than happy to have an excuse to leave the room. He grabbed his pajamas out of the bedroom before going into the bathroom and shutting the door. After a little fumbling with buttons and zippers, the youngster managed to get undressed. Sam carefully climbed into the tub. Sitting down, he picked up the soap and slowly started washing.

Once Sam finished bathing and toweling off, he dressed and reluctantly trudged back into the sitting room. "Your turn" he told his big brother.

Dean snatched his pajamas and hurried into the bathroom. Turning on the facet, he tore off his clothes, jumped into the tub, and drew the shower curtain. The eight year old decided to ignore their dad's order to take a bath and flipped on the shower instead. Knowing his little brother was uncomfortable around their dad at the moment, he stepped under the spray, grabbed the soap, and quickly scrubbed himself down. He needed to get back to his family fast. There was no telling what might happen between his dad and brother with him not there. He washed his hair in record time and then turned off the shower and climbed out of the tub. Snagging a towel off the rack, the young hunter ran it over his body a couple of times before throwing on his pajamas and racing out of the bathroom. The sight that met his eyes when he reached the sitting room confirmed his fears. A pale Sammy was sitting on the couch watching their dad cut three rather large slices of the pecan pie. 'Crap!' Dean muttered under his breath. Deciding to play it cool, he walked into the room and took a seat beside Sam. "You cutting into the pie already, dad?" he asked. "I thought we were saving it for tomorrow."

"We are. But I thought you boys might like a little taste before bed." John replied, handing the first plate of pie to his eldest. He held one of the other plates out to Sam, frowning as the toddler shook his head. "You okay, Sammy? You're not hurting are you?"

"I'm fine, dad" Sam answered, pasting on a smile for his father.

John eyed his son critically for a few seconds before shrugging. "Okay" he agreed. Glancing towards the kitchen area, he shouted, "Hey Singer! You want a piece of the pecan pie?"

"No thanks" Bobby said, walking into the room with two plates of his own. "I thought Sammy and I would try the chocolate cake instead. What do you say, kiddo? Are you up to trying the best chocolate cake ever?"

"You didn't have to cut into the cake for Sam, Bobby." John admonished, taking the offered plate before his youngest could. "If he wants dessert, he can have a slice of pie. You don't need to cater to the kid because he's being picky. Sam knows the rules. He eats what's offered or nothing."

"Yeah, well I just thought I'd offer him something that wouldn't cause him to have an allergic reaction!" Bobby growled, handing his plate to the toddler, who was looking more upset by the second.

"Don't you…wait? What?" John stammered as Bobby's statement finally hit him. Sighing, he ran a hand down his beard. Gazing down at his boys, the Winchester patriarch slowly sank down onto the small coffee table. "I can't believe I forgot your pecan allergy. I'm sorry Sam." he apologized.

"It's okay" Sam softly murmured, his gaze focused on the plate in his lap. "I understand. You have a lot on youw mind and…"

"That's no excuse, Sammy" John said, ghosting a hand down his boy's cheek before grasping his chin and tilting it up until they were eye to eye. "There is no excuse for me forgetting about my baby boy's health. I screwed up…again. Seems like all I do lately is mess up where you're concerned. I, I don't, I don't know…" John paused to get his thoughts in order. "I know saying I'm sorry doesn't undo what I did or the hurt that I caused but I am sorry, son."

"I know and its okay." The youngest Winchester quietly stated, seeing the truth in his dad's eyes.

Smiling, John handed Sam's plate to Bobby before scooping up his son and hugging him to his chest. "I love you, buddy." he whispered.

"Love you, too dad" Sam said, returning the hug just as fiercely.

"Geeze, enough with the soap opera moment, guys." Dean grumbled. "I'm trying to eat here."

"Sorry Dean-O" John responded, ruffling the eight year old's hair. "The chick flick moment is officially over. Right, Sammy?"

"Yes sir" Sam stated, settling back on the couch beside his brother. Accepting his cake plate from Bobby, he carefully situated it in his lap once more. "I'm done."

"Good" Dean huffed. "Now we can get back to more important things like eating."

"I couldn't agree more." John said, taking the plate Bobby handed him. "I say we find a horror movie to watch and pig out."

"I'm in." Dean piped up around the food in his mouth. Swallowing, he grinned up at his father. "Oh, and dad"

"Yes Dean" John answered.

Dean's smile widened. "You're sitting on the pecan pie.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke. I own nothing. I do not own anything you recognize.

AN- I have no idea where this came from.

Previously on Supernatural- "Oh, and dad"

"Yes Dean" John answered. Dean's smile widened. "You're sitting on the pecan pie. 

SPN 

John leaned forward as the woman on the screen eyed the bank of monitors on the wall. He had to admit this Grudge movie was pretty good even if it was extremely inaccurate. At least it wasn't as ridiculous and predictable as most horror movies. Maybe their family night needed to include a movie. Feeling a tiny body suddenly lean into him, the senior Winchester frowned. His youngest had never been scared by horror movies. Well except for "It" but that had more to do with the clown than the movie. Glancing down at Sammy, he found the toddler struggling to keep his eyes open. Picking up the remote, he reluctantly switched the television off. "Time for bed" he announced.

Sam yawned and sleepily fisted his eyes. Seeing something out of the corner of his eye, the youngster peered over at the ball capped man in the room. After taking in his friend's body language and expression, he quickly deduced the problem. Sam smiled to himself. He knew exactly how to fix this and he didn't have to be big to do it. Sliding off the couch, he tottled over to junk yard owner and tugged on his shirt sleeve. "Bobby, can I sleep with you?" he asked once he had the older man's attention. "Dean and dad hog the bed."

Bobby looked down at the mini hunter in surprise. "Of course you can, Sport." He agreed.

"Sammy if this is about earlier…"

"It's not, dad. Honest." Sam assured his father as he walked over to the man. Climbing up beside the eldest Winchester, he sat up on his knees. "I know you didn't mean to huwt me. You just fowgot."

"Then why do you want to sleep with Bobby all the sudden?" John questioned, picking the toddler up and hugging him.

Dropping his head onto his dad's shoulder, Sam smiled at the man. "I just want some woom to stwetch out." He explained. The littlest Winchester leaned into his father's embrace. "Let me do this fow Bobby, dad. Please?" he whispered.

John thought for a moment before nodding. "Okay, Sammy you can sleep with Bobby…" a snort stopped him mid-sentence. He glanced down at his eldest, raising an eyebrow at the boy who had both hands covering his mouth in an attempt to stifle his laughter. "Dean, what the hell?"

"You, you s-said Saammmy could sleep, sleep with B-Bobby!" Dean giggled as he rolled around on the couch holding his stomach.

John rolled his eyes. "I meant they could share the bed, Dean." He clarified. "You know that."

"I, I k-know." Dean replied, still snickering. "It just, just s-s-sounded soooo wr-rong."

Seeing Sam's eyes blinking slower and slower, Bobby stood and walked the two steps to the couch. "John, why don't you let me take him?" he softly instructed, holding out his hands. "I'd like for him to make a pit stop before going down for the night."

Taking in his son's half opened eyes, John nodded. He reached over and gently shook Sam's tiny shoulder. "Sammy, wake up a minute, buddy" he ordered.

"N't leepin'" Sam pretested, forcing his eyes open.

"Come on, kiddo" Bobby said, taking the toddler from the Winchester patriarch. "Let's get you to the bathroom and in bed."

"K" Sam mumbled, wrapping his arms around the older hunter's neck and burying his face in his shoulder.

John watched Bobby and Sam leave the room and then turned to Dean. "Can I ask you something Dean-O?" he inquired, flicking the movie back on and lowering the sound.

"Sure dad, what is it?" Dean curiously asked.

"I was just wondering why you didn't remind me of Sam's pecan allergy." John replied. "I know you couldn't have forgotten. You don't forget anything where Sam's concerned."

"Dude, why do you think I tried so hard to talk you out of buying the stupid thing. It wasn't like I could call you on it in the middle of the restaurant." Dean explained. "All it'd take is one do gooder to overhear and we'd be up to our eyeballs in CPS. And somehow I don't think Sam's injuries would go over too well with them."

John ran a weary hand across his beard. "Yeah, that'd be like waving a red cape at a bull." He muttered.

"A bull would be easier to defeat." Dean grumbled. Remembering his dad's earlier flight, the eight year old looked up at his father. "Dad, if I ask you something do you promise not to flip out?"

John's brow furrowed at the unexpected question. "Okay" he hesitantly agreed. "What's on your mind?"

Dean shifted around on the couch until he was face to face with the elder hunter. Taking a deep breath, the youngster asked, "What happened between you and Sammy when I was in the bathroom warming up this afternoon?"

The senior Winchester winced. He shrugged, his hand coming up to subconsciously scratch the hair at the back of his neck. "I honestly don't know." John admitted. "One minute he was talking and smiling and the next he had that kicked puppy look on his face."

Dean sighed. He'd figured as much. "Alright tell me what you two were talking about right before he got the look." He suggested.

"Well, let's see. I asked him what he was making and he told me it was a space shuttle. Then I said he looked like he was feeling better. Sammy told me he was and that he was sorry we'd had to stop because of him. Said we could get back on the road." John ticked off. "I told him that he wasn't his fault. The snow was coming down too hard for us to keep driving."

"Shit!" Dean groaned, grimacing at his father's unintentional flub. "I can't believe you told him that!"

"What that it wasn't his fault?" John queried.

"No, that you stopped because of the snow." Dean corrected.

"I don't get it. Why was that wrong? It was the truth." John defended.

"Dad, Sammy thought you stopped because he was hurt. By telling him that crap about the snow, you effectively told him that he didn't matter." Dean explained.

"What?" John exclaimed, eyes widening. "How the heck would he get that from we stopped because of the snow."

"Maybe because I told him you stopped because riding in the car like that was hurting him." Bobby supplied as he walked into the room.

"Bobby, what are you doing out here?" Dean balked. "You're supposed to be watching Sammy."

"I know and I am. I just came out here to tell you two knuckleheads to lower the volume a bit. You're disturbing the kid." Bobby relayed.

"Sorry Bobby, we'll keep it down." Dean promised.

"Good" Bobby replied with a nod. Turning around, he headed back to the bedroom. "Night guys"

"Night Bobby" John softly called. Focusing back on his eldest boy, he shook his head. "I still don't get it, Dean. How does we stopped for the snow translate into I don't care about you?"

"He thought you were putting him first for once in his life. You telling him you stopped for the snow was like saying his being hurt didn't matter to you." Dean reasoned. "I know it's not the truth but that's how he feels. I mean think about it dad. How many times did you carry one of us to the car when we were sick and make us ride all day to get to your next hunt? Or how about the times he asked to stick around town an extra day or two because of something special? Every time he asked you told him the same thing: people are dying Sammy! That's more important than your stupid school crap!"

"That was the truth, Dean." John ground out. "I…"

"That's not the point, dad." Dean interrupted. "Yes, we're hunters and saving people is what we do. But what good did it do to save all those people and lose your son cause that's exactly what happened."

"Now wait just a minute!"

"No, you wait!" Dean growled. "I've been quiet far too long. If you'd just put Sammy's needs first sometimes, we wouldn't have lost him! But noooo, you had to beat him down every time! Any time he asked for anything, he was called a selfish brat or worse! You kept such a tight rein on him that the kid couldn't breathe!"

John's face had grown stonier with each accusation. "I had my reasons for everything I did." He huffed.

"Yeah, well tell that to Sammy." Dean scoffed, jumping off the couch. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go to bed with my little brother."

"Dean"

Ignoring his father's call, Dean stomped out of the room.

John sighed and dropped his head into his hands. He'd royally screwed the pooch this time and he knew it. How in the world was he going to fix this? Hearing footsteps approaching, he glanced up to find an unhappy Bobby Singer glaring at him.

"What the hell did you do now?"


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke. I own nothing. I do not own anything you recognize.

Previously on Supernatural- John sighed and dropped his head into his hands. He'd royally screwed the pooch this time and he knew it. How in the world was he going to fix this? Hearing footsteps approaching, he glanced up to find an unhappy Bobby Singer glaring at him.

"What the hell did you do now?"

SPN

John managed to hold the furious man's gaze for a scant second before dropping his head in shame. After everything he'd done today, there was no way he could look his friend in the eye.

Bobby impatiently tapped his foot as he waited for the Winchester patriarch to answer him. When five minutes passed without a word, he decided he'd given the man more than enough time to get to it on his own. "Well?" he gruffly barked, crossing his arms.

John flinched at the tone in the older hunter's voice. "What do you want me to say? I screwed up, alright?" he huffed.

"Ya think?" Bobby sarcastically stated. Taking off his ball cap, he smacked the back of John's head…hard.

John's anger suddenly bubbled to the surface and he struck out at the closest available target: his long-time friend Bobby Singer. The heated hunter leapt off the couch and stood toe to toe with his mentor. "Back off Singer" he warned. "This is between my boys and me. It has nothing to do with you."

"Bullshit" Bobby threw back. "Those two are as much mine as they are yours. You hurt them; you deal with me."

"Don't go writing checks your body can't cash, old man!" John growled, squaring off against his long time friend.

"You know me better than that, kid. I've never made a promise I didn't keep." Bobby declared, putting special emphasis on the word 'I'.

"You saying I have?" an enraged John shouted.

Crossing his arms once more, Bobby simply cocked his head to one side and raised an eyebrow at the younger man.

"Yeah, I guess I have." John sighed, visibly deflating. Dropping down onto the couch, he ran a weary hand through his hair. "Damn Bobby, I've really messed things up this time."

"Definitely" Bobby replied, taking a seat beside his distraught friend and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Wanna tell me what happened that got Dean all riled up?"

John nodded. "I ummm, I told him about the talk Sam and I had earlier. You know, the one about stopping because of the snow? Anyway, Dean tried to explain what upset Sammy and that somehow led to an argument about how I treated the kid growing up."

"Good" Bobby said.

"Good?" John exasperatedly repeated. "How the heck is Dean going off on me a good thing?"

"Johnny, Dean has needed to get that off his chest for years now." Bobby explained. "All that crap you threw at Sam growing up hurt Dean, too. He was the one who had to try to sooth an upset Sam every time. He saw what your tactics did to the kid and it tore him up inside. And it only got worse as they got older. When Sam hit the teenage years, he really started to notice the difference in the way you treated him and Dean. And that caused problems with the boy's relationship, especially since Dean tended to take up for you. Hearing from the seemly favored sibling that your dad is right and you need to chill doesn't exactly promote friendly relations if you know what I mean."

"I never thought of it that way." John muttered, scratching his beard. "I just figured the fighting and arguing was part of being a teenager."

"And I'm sure part of it was. But if you think back, I bet you'll remember times the boys' fall out started right after one of you and Sammy's fights." Bobby pointed out.

John thought for a moment before grimacing. "Yeah, you're right." He told the older man. "So, how do I fix it?"

"I hate to say it Johnny, but we're past the fixing stage." Bobby regretfully said. "All you can do now is make sure it doesn't happen again."

John nodded. "I will." He promised.

"Good" Bobby responded. "Now did Dean give you any insight on how to handle your little faux pas with Sam?"

"Not really" John answered. "He was a little too ticked for that."

"So, what are you gonna do?" Bobby prodded.

"I don't know." John readily admitted. "It's not like I meant to hurt Sammy's feelings. I was actually trying to make the kid feel better. I mean, what was I supposed to say? Yes, we stopped because you were hurting? Sam already felt guilty for that. I thought if I told him we stopped for the snow, it would make him feel better."

"So you really stopped because of Sam?" Bobby questioned.

"Of course I did." John snapped. "Riding in the car like that was hurting Sammy. I couldn't let…" the young man cut off with an ummph as a tiny body barreled into his legs. Looking down at the mop of brown hair, he frowned. "Sammy?" he softly said as he scooped the toddler up. ""What's a matter, buddy? You have another nightmare?"

Not about to cop to eavesdropping, Sam thought fast. "No, my head huwts" he replied as he laid his head on his father's shoulder. It wasn't a total lie. His head did hurt. It just wasn't the reason he came out of the bedroom.

"Awww, kiddo, I'm sorry. I should've given you some aspirin before you went to bed." John whispered, kissing the top of the boy's head. "Come on. Let's get you some medicine so you can sleep."

"Let me take him, John." Bobby offered, holding out his hands. "You need to go have a little talk with Dean.

John hugged his son tightly to his chest for a moment before nodding. "Alright" He reluctantly agreed. He carefully passed the tired toddler to his friend and stood up. "I guess I better go make peace with Dean."

Sam mumbled something into crook of Bobby's neck, garnering both men's attention.

"What was that Sammy?" the junk yard owner questioned.

The toddler raised his head a bit. "I said *yawn* he's in the bath-yawn-room." he repeated before dropping his head back onto his uncle's shoulder.

"Bathroom. Got it." John said. He reached out and rubbed his baby boy's back. "Sleep well, Sammy"

"Night dad" Sam breathed out.

John waited for Bobby and Sam to disappear into the kitchen before turning and striding into the bedroom. Once inside, he made a beeline for the bathroom. Staring at the closed door, the father took a deep breath and then gently rapped on the wooden door. "Dean? Dean, come out so we can talk." He called. Getting no reply, he sighed. It looked like he'd have to bring out the big guns. "I'll stand here all night if I have to Dean-O. But I'd rather not. Your brother needs to sleep and he can't do that with me standing here talking to the door. So what do you say, we take this conversation in the living room? Please?" John immediately heard the snick of the lock. He took a step back as the door opened revealing a still fuming Dean. "Thanks kiddo"

Huffing, Dean stomped out of the bathroom to stand beside his dad. His gaze was quickly drawn to the far bed; the empty bed. "Dad, where's Sammy?" he worriedly asked.

"Relax Dean, he's with Bobby" John informed his son. "His head was bothering him so Bobby took him to the kitchen to get some medicine. They'll be right back. So, the living room?"

"Let's get this over with." Dean grumbled. Trudging over to the closest bed, he plopped down and crossed his arms. "Alright, I'm listening. Talk."

"Dean, I really think we should…"

"I don't care what you think right now. You wanna talk. We talk right here." Dean stated with a scowl.

"Okay" John agreed. He walked over and sat down beside his eldest. "I wanted to tell you, you were right about everything. I…"

"Don't you dare…wait! What?" Dean stammered as his dad's words finally sunk in.

"I said you were right. I was a crappy father to you two. I should have put you boys first, not the hunt. When you were sick, I should have made sure you were in bed being taken care of, not in the back of the car fending for yourself." John apologized. "And you were right about Sam, too. I was an ass to him growing up. I was so busy trying to toughen him up and make him like you that I lost sight of everything else. I thought I was doing the right thing at the time. I thought by cutting him off from his friends and activities and forcing him to focus on the hunt that he would become a consummate hunter like you. But all I did was drive him away. My tactics did nothing but hurt him and you and for that I'm so very sorry. I know there's noth…" for the second time that night John was cut off as one of his sons threw themselves at him, hugging him fiercely.

"It's okay dad. I know you did the best you could." Dean absolved. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

John tightened his hold on his son. "I'm sorry, too son and I'm going to do my best to make it up to you; both of you."

Dean smiled. "Love you dad"

"Love you, too Dean-O" John answered, kissing his son's forehead.

"Daaaad!" Dean whined as he started to squirm in his father's embrace. "Bobby might walk in."

"What's a matter, Dean? Afraid Bobby might see this?" John asked, kissing the eight year old's cheek. "Or this?" He kissed the boy's other cheek. A mischievous grin suddenly came over his face. "Oh no! It's the sugar monster! I can't, I can't hold him back! NO!" Steeling his grip on his son, John started planting kisses all over Dean's face and head.

"Is it safe to come in yet?" Bobby called as he stepped into the bedroom doorway. Seeing John holding Dean down and kissing him, he chuckled. "I'll take that as a no."

John ceased his actions when he caught sight of the older hunter turning to go back into the living room. "No, it's okay Bobby. Come on in." he softly called. "We're through. Right, Dean?"

"You better believe it." Dean responded, scooting away from his dad.

"Good, cause I need to tuck Little Bit in for the night." Bobby told the others as he walked over to the far bed. Leaning down, he gently placed the sleeping toddler in bed and tucked the blankets around him. He kissed the boy's forehead before standing and grabbing his duffle. "I'm just gonna get a quick shower before bed."

"Go ahead. Dean and I will watch him." John stated.

"Alright, I won't be long." Bobby whispered. He hurried across the room and disappeared into the bathroom.

Dean shuffled over and climbed up on the far bed. He scooted close to his little brother, laid down, and pulled the covers over himself. Throwing a protective arm around his sibling, the older brother closed his eyes. He was asleep in minutes.

Smiling at the sight of his sleeping children, John stood and crept over to their bed. Taking a seat at the end, he turned so that he was facing the boys. His boys weren't going to be hurt again. He was going to make sure of it. 

SPN 

After a quick breakfast the next morning, the small family headed out once more. The snow had stopped during the night and the snow plows had been through earlier making the drive much easier than the day before. With Christmas music blaring from the radio, the group of hunters passed the time swapping stories about anything from their most unusual hunts to their best and worst Christmas memories. Sam's story of being alone and sick his first Christmas at Stanford had the older men squirming with guilt. Each one had driven by the school that holiday but none had gone to the dorms to see him. And they hadn't even thought to call. Knowing that their youngest had been so sick that he couldn't even get out of bed to get to a phone, the three hunters cursed themselves for not making sure the kid was okay. Thankfully, Sam's roommate had come back after a couple of days to try to convince his friend to spend the holidays with his family. He had gotten Sam to the hospital, saving the youngest Winchester's life.

Deciding they needed something to change the mood, Dean regaled the group with the Christmas he'd spent hiding from a group of admirers after he'd stumbled into a gay bar by mistake. That had started the snickering. Those snickers had turned to outright laughter at John's childhood memory of being upended over Santa's lap while in a crowded mall on Christmas Eve. That story was followed by Bobby's hilarious tale of John's first and only snipe hunt.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, John turned the impala into a small restaurant parking lot. He pulled into an empty space and cut the engine. "You boys ready for lunch?" he asked.

"Yes sir!" the Winchester boys chorused.

"Alright then, let's go!" John enthusiastically stated. He climbed out of the vehicle and opened the back door, smiling as his sons jumped out. Taking his boys by the hand, the Winchester patriarch led the small group into the diner. After a pit stop, the hunters trudged over to a booth at the back of the restaurant and took a seat.

"Good morning, gentlemen, Merry Christmas" their waitress greeted as she smiled at the two bright eyed boys. Reaching into her apron pocket, she pulled out two small packs of crayons and handed them to the boys.

"Thank you ma'am" Dean said.

"Thank you" Sam echoed.

"You're welcome Sweeties" the fifty year old Debbie replied. Turning her attention back to the men, she asked, "What can I get for you today?"

"I'll have the steak and eggs platter, medium well with fries and a coffee." John listed.

"Same for me" Dean added. Feeling his dad's intense gaze zero in on him, he quickly corrected, "oh, with a coke instead of coffee, please."

"Sure thing, Honey" Debbie said, adding that to her ticket.

"Sammy, you know what you want?" John questioned.

"Yes siw" Sam answered, nodding his head. "I want the chocolate chip pancakes with hash browns and chocolate milk, please."

"Good choice" Debbie commented before turning to Bobby. "And for you, sir?"

"I'll have the steak and eggs platter, too. Well done with hash browns and coffee." Bobby told her.

"Alright, that's three steak and eggs platters, two medium well with fries and one well done with hash browns, an order of chocolate chip pancakes with hash browns, two coffees, a coke, and a chocolate milk." Debbie recited. "Anything else?"

"No, I think that's it." John replied.

"Okay, just let me know if you change your mind." Debbie said. "I'll put your order in and then I'll be right back with your drinks."

"Hey Sammy, look!" Dean called, elbowing his brother and pointing to a brightly colored machine in the corner. "There's one of those claw machines! You wanna go see what we can win?"

"Suwe" Sam responded, a dimpled grin lighting up his face. "Can we, dad? Please?"

John glanced from the machine to his two excited children before nodding. "Alright, but stay where I can see you." He advised. Smiling as his sons cheered and slid out of the booth, he quickly pulled out his wallet. "Here Dean, have the waitress exchange this for coins." He instructed, handing the boy a five dollar bill.

"The whole thing?" Dean incredulously asked.

"Why not?" John threw back. "You should be able to win at least a couple of prizes with that."

"Thanks dad!" Dean and Sam exclaimed before racing towards the register.

"Score one for Papa John" Bobby said.

"Papa John?" John grimaced. "Do I look like some odd ball pizza mogul to you?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Bobby fired back with a smirk.

"Never mind" John replied, shaking his head. Seeing Sam start celebrating, he smiled. "Looks like Dean's won already."

"That doesn't surprise me. That boy's a wiz at games like that." Bobby bragged.

"That's my boy!" John exclaimed, the pride clear in his voice.

"Speaking of the boys, shouldn't we start planning our Christmas?" Bobby suggested. "We don't have much time."

"Yeah, alright" John responded. He kept a close eye on his sons as he and Bobby mapped out the perfect Christmas. They managed to get through shopping, decorating, and Christmas Eve supper before the waitress returned with their food. Catching Dean's eye, John waved the boys over.

Dean and Sam hurried over to the booth. Sliding back into their seats, they set their newly won toys on the table and picked up their silverware.

John eyed the toys in surprise. "You two won all that?" he asked, pointing to the stuffed animals and toy cars.

"Yeah" Dean answered around a mouthful of steak. "We could've gotten more, but you called us back. Oh, and here's your change."

John took the two and a half dollars' worth of change and pocketed it. "You're good." He praised.

"Sammy and I have a system. He handles the back and front and I deal with the left and right." Dean explained. "Works every time."

"I'll have to remember that." John commented, stuffing another piece of steak in his mouth.

The rest of the meal was spent talking and reminiscing about various past Christmases. Recalling the Christmas a fire at their apartment had left the boys to find their own way to Bobby's place, the men frowned. That was one Christmas they wished they could forget. They had really thought they'd lost Dean and Sammy that time. However, hearing Dean explain how they'd made their way from the burning building to Bobby's without getting caught was fascinating. Both men swelled with pride as they listened to just how well the two boys survived on their own. There was just one thing they needed to know.

"Dean, how did you…"

"Everything okay, gentlemen?" Debbie questioned as she stepped up to their table.

"We're fine." Bobby replied, shoving the last bit of hash brown in his mouth.

"I think we're ready for the check." John added.

"Alright" Debbie answered. Pulling a wad of receipts out of her apron pocket, she searched until she found the right one. "Here you go. Can I get you anything else?"

"No thanks" John told her.

"Okay, well you folks have a good day." Debbie said. "And a Merry Christmas!"

"Mewwy Chwistmas!" Sam called back.

Picking up their ticket, John slid out of the booth. "Bobby, take the boys to the bathroom while I pay the check." He ordered. "We need to get back on the road."

"You got it, Johnny" Bobby replied. Climbing out of the booth, he held out his hands. "Come on boys"

John walked up to the register and paid for their lunch. After exchanging pleasantries with the waitress, he made a pit stop and then headed to the impala. Getting to the classic Chevy, he opened the driver's side door and climbed inside. "Everybody ready?" he asked, turning to face the back seat.

"Yes sir" Sam called out.

"Absolutely" Dean chimed in.

"Alright then, let's get this show on the road!" John said, as he started the engine. He pulled out of their space and drove through the semi crowded parking lot. Turning onto the highway, he headed for home. 

SPN 

Pulling into Bobby's drive a couple of hours later, John let out a sigh. He was more than ready to be out of the car for a few days. Glancing into the rearview mirror, he smiled at his sleeping sons. The two looked so innocent. 'Not to mention adorable' his mind supplied. Smirking at the thought of Dean's reaction to that description, the Winchester patriarch stifled a chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Bobby asked, perking up now that he was home.

"Nothing, just thinking" John replied as he pulled to a stop in front of Bobby's front porch.

Shaking his head, Bobby looked back at the tiny hunters. "You gonna wake them up or do you wanna carry them?" he asked.

"We better wake them up. Dean'll have a cow if he wakes up and one of us is carrying him." John reasoned.

"True" Bobby agreed. "Plus if either one of them was to startle awake, we'd be in for a world of hurt, especially considering what body part their feet would be closest to."

Wincing at that explanation, John unconsciously closed his legs as he turned in his seat. He reached back and shook Dean's shoulder. Seeing the boy's eyes open, he moved on to Sam. "Sam, time to wake up. We're here" he called.

Sam's eyes slowly opened. The toddler fisted his eyes sleepily before looking up at his dad. "Is we at Uncle Bobby's, daddy?" he excitedly asked.

Bobby and John stared in shock at the little boy.

Picking up on the suddenly tense atmosphere, Dean scooted to the edge of the bench seat and placed a hand on his father's shoulder. "Dad? Dad, what's wrong?" he inquired. "Did Sammy do something wrong?"

"No Dean" John answered once he'd found his voice. "I just ummm…Dean how old are you?"

"I'm eight dad." Dean responded.

"And me's fouw!" Sammy happily declared before sticking his thumb in his mouth.

"Balls!" Bobby exclaimed.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke. I own nothing. Words in italics are from the story "The Night Before Christmas". I do not own anything you recognize. 

AN- One more and this one's done. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with this one.

And for anyone wondering, I found out Friday I passed my test. I am now a 2nd degree black belt! 

Previously on Supernatural- "I'm eight dad." Dean responded.

"And me's fouw!" Sammy happily declared before sticking his thumb in his mouth.

"Balls!" Bobby exclaimed. 

SPN 

Sammy smiled up at his uncle. "Balls!" he echoed with a giggle. "Balls! Balls! Balls! B...

Dean quickly clamped a hand over his little brother's mouth. "Sammy! Don't say that! It's a bad word." he scolded.

Sammy poked his bottom lip out in a pout. "But Uncle Bobby sayed it." he defended, pointing to said perpetrator.

Dean sighed. His little brother never could take you can't do it for an answer. He always had to know why, especially if he couldn't do something other people could. "Sammy, remember what I told you about dad and bad words?" he questioned.

"Uh huh" Sammy answered with a nod. "You sayed Daddy can say bad words 'cause he's the daddy."

"That's right." Dean said. "Well, that goes for Uncle Bobby too, okay?"

"Okay" Sammy agreed, turning back to look out the window. Half a second later he spun back towards his big brother, his eyes going comically wide as a thought occurred to him. "Uncle Bobby's a daddy!" he gasped. "Does he have a little boy like me?"

Dean glared at the snickering hunters in the front seat before turning his attention back to his little brother. "Uncle Bobby doesn't have any kids, Sammy." he told the toddler. "You know that."

"But you sayed…"

"I meant he was a grown-up like dad." Dean corrected. "It's okay for grown-ups to say bad words."

"Oh" Sammy sadly replied, dropping his gaze to his lap.

Dean frowned. "What's a matter Sammy?" he asked.

"I wanted Uncle Bobby to have a little boy sos I'd have somebody to play with." Sammy responded.

John decided to step in at that point before they ended up spending the rest of the afternoon in the car attempting to retract Dean's foot from his mouth. "You'll have plenty of folks to play with, buddy." John said, smiling at his youngest. "You've got Dean and Uncle Bobby and me. And I think I see somebody else that'll be more than happy to play coming down the stairs right now."

"Weally?" Sammy excited asked. Yanking off his seat belt, he crawled onto the seat and stood up. Seeing Josh headed their way, he let out a squeal. "Uncle Joshie!"

"Cool!" Dean hollered. Taking off his own seat belt, the eight year old threw open the car door and leapt out. He raced over to the older hunter with Sammy close behind him. "Uncle Josh!" he yelled, high fiving the man. He grinned as the hunter wrapped an arm around him.

Sammy barreled into Josh's legs almost taking all three of them to the ground. "Uncle Joshie! Uncle Joshie!" he hollered, laughing as the man scooped him up and tossed him in the air.

"Hey boys" Josh greeted. He ruffled Dean's hair before setting Sammy on his feet beside his brother. "You two ready to have some fun?"

"Yes sir" both boys responded.

"Alright then, go get your things outta the car and get'em stored away." Josh instructed. "Then we'll play."

"Yes!" Dean whooped. "Come on Sammy! We gotta get our stuff!"

"I's coming!" Sammy hollered as he ran after his big brother.

Josh nodded to his approaching friends. "Somebody mind filling me in?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at the two. "'cause it appears you left out a few key points when you called me."

"Don't look at us. This just started when they woke up a few minutes ago." Bobby explained. "Before that they were their normal selves."

"It's gotta be connected to the wish." John reasoned. "I mean, I did say I wished I could go back."

"I guess reverting the boys the rest of the way was easier than sending you back in time." Bobby theorized.

"And safer" Josh added. "I don't wanna think what might have happened if he sent you back and your younger self and you met up."

Bobby shivered. "That's one explosion the whole country would hear."

"Wonder who would've come out on top of that fight." Josh pondered, scratching his temple. "Come to think of it that's one fight I'd pay good money…"

"Uncle Joshie! We's weady!" Sammy shouted, holding up his duffle for the older man to see.

Josh knelt down in front of the rambunctious toddler. "Good boy" he praised, ruffling the boy's long locks. "Now you and Dean go put your bags in your room while your dad and I talk. Okay?"

"Okay" Sammy readily agreed. Looking back at his brother, he made a hurry up motion. "Come on Dean! Hurry!"

"I'm coming" Dean called back, throwing his bag over his shoulder. He carefully shut the back door before rushing after his younger sibling who was already halfway up the porch steps.

Bobby chuckled at the two as they practically flew up the stairs and across the porch to the house. It looked like he and John weren't the only ones tired of being stuck in the impala. Speaking of which: "We better unload the car and get inside. We have a ton of things to do before tomorrow morning rolls around." He told the others.

Nodding their heads in agreement, John and Josh followed Bobby over to the classic Chevy. Popping the trunk, they quickly got to the task of unpacking. 

SPN 

After an hour of playing hide and seek, the hunters sent the boys to watch cartoons and headed into the kitchen. They each grabbed a cup of coffee before sitting down at the table. Bobby spread out the paper containing the list he'd made earlier in the day. Picking up a pencil, he marked through several items. "Okay, now I know we still need to get a tree and presents. But what kind of gifts do we get?" he asked. "And is there anything we need to add to our list?"

"Well, let's see." John replied thoughtfully. "The boys will like pretty much anything you give them so presents won't be a problem. We could add…

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Sammy hollered as he blazed into the room. "Can we go see Santa? Please? I's gotta tell Santa what to bring me and Dean."

A grim faced Dean appeared in the doorway. "Sorry sir" He apologized. The eight year old marched over to the bouncing toddler and grabbed him by the hand. "Sammy! I told you not to bother dad." He scolded, pulling the youngster towards the door. "He's busy working right now. He doesn't have time to answer your million and one questions."

"But, but I's gotta go see Santa, Dean!" Sammy protested as he was being led out of the room. "It's 'powtant!"

"Sammy" Dean growled, yanking on the little boy's arm when he started dragging his feet.

Wincing at his baby boy's pained whimper, John quickly got out of his chair and hurried over to his sons. He placed a hand on Dean's shoulder, effectively stopping the boy in his tracks. "It's okay, Dean" he said, kneeling down to his children's eye level. "In fact, I think Sammy has the right idea. What do you say, we go see Santa and then get something to eat?"

Dean studied his father's face before whispering, "Christo"

John laughed. "I'm not possessed, Champ" he assured the eight year old. He lovingly palmed the boy's cheek. "I just think we should take a little time to enjoy the holiday."

Dean nodded at his father before edging closer to Bobby and Josh. "Uncle Bobby, you got any silver?" he whispered, keeping his eyes on the thing wearing his father's face.

Bobby didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The very thought that the boy thought his dad was possessed or worse because John actually wanted to do something normal with his children deeply saddened him. Sighing, Bobby knelt down beside the boy. He guessed it was up to him to set the kid straight. The grizzled hunter took off his battered cap and ran a hand through his thinning hair as he thought of what to say. Finally settling on what he hoped was a believable lie, he took a deep breath and began. "You don't need any silver, kiddo. That's your dad. He just wants to do Christmas up right this year." He explained, frowning at the disbelief in Dean's eyes. "See, he's been having these dreams about how things used to be before the fire. You know, the happy times you guys had."

Dean nodded solemnly.

"Well, I think your dad just wants to make some new happy memories. It's kinda his way of reliving the old ones." Bobby concluded. "Make sense, kid?"

"Not really" Dean admitted, shaking his head. He eyed his two uncles critically. "You sure that's dad?"

"One hundred percent positive" Bobby swore, crossing his heart.

"Okay" Dean replied after a few seconds thought.

"Good man" Bobby praised, patting the boy one the back. He stood up with a groan. "Now, that that's settled, what do you say we get going?"

"Yes sir!" Dean answered with a grin.

"Alright boys, go make a pit stop and then get your coats. We leave in five." John instructed.

"You hear that, Sammy? We're going to see Santa!" Dean hollered.

"YEA!" Sammy cheered, clapping his hands. "Sammy see Santa!" 

SPN 

Sammy gazed around Santa's Wonderland in awe. He'd never seen anything like it! Gingerbread men smiled and waved at him from in front of their houses while gingerbread kids made snowmen or had snowball fights. Further up the walk, rows of lollipops lined both sides of the path. Elves of every description toted handfuls of wrapped presents towards a huge door marked Santa's Workshop.

Walking through the door with his big brother, Sammy saw tables of toys lining the walls. Life-size cardboard elves were scattered around the room. They carried toys or worked at the tables making new toys. And right in the middle of the colorful workshop sat a bearded man in a bright red suit.

Dean rolled his eyes at the babyish decorations. He couldn't believe his dad was making him wait in line to see some guy in a Santa suit. Sammy yeah, he still believed in the fat guy. But Dean had known the childhood idol wasn't real for years now. What was the point anyway? His dad was sure to put Santa aside for a hunt once they got back to Bobby's. And then they'd wake up tomorrow to either no presents or just a few new clothes and then he'd have to spend the afternoon trying to assure his little brother that he hadn't been a bad boy. All in all this holiday…Dean was drawn out of his thoughts by a loud laugh. Looking up, he noticed that the kid on Santa's lap was gone. It was their turn now.

Sammy glanced at the giant man in the red suit and promptly hid behind his dad's leg. Peering out at Santa from the safety of his hiding place, he curiously eyed the man in red.

Dean reached over to grab his little brother's hand. Coming up with nothing but air, he spun around to look for the missing toddler. Spotting Sammy hiding behind their dad, he sighed. The eight year old walked the few steps to the scared boy and held out his hand. "Come on Sammy, it's our turn to see Santa." He said.

Sammy adamantly shook his head before ducking back behind his dad.

"It's okay Sammy. Santa won't hurt you. He's your friend, remember?" Dean urged. "Come on, you've gotta tell him what you want for Christmas so he'll know what to bring."

"Nuh uh" Sammy whispered, shaking his head once more.

"Dad, a little help here" Dean asked.

John leaned down and scooped up his youngest. "What's wrong, buddy?" he questioned. "I thought you wanted to see Santa."

"I's scawed, daddy" Sammy loudly whispered.

"Oh for Pete's sake! There's nothing to be scared of! It's just Santa, brat." Dean huffed.

"Dean" John warned.

"Sorry sir" Dean apologized.

Nodding, John glanced down at his baby boy. "Sammy, how about if Dean and I go up there with you? Will you talk to Santa then?" he offered.

Sammy thought for a moment before nodding.

"Alright then, let's go." John said. Taking Dean by the hand, he slowly walked up to the jolly old elf. "Evening, Santa"

"Hello there boys" Santa greeted. "Come sit on Santa's lap and tell him what you want for Christmas."

Sighing, Dean shuffled over to the man in red and climbed onto his lap. Looking over at his family, he held out his arms for his brother.

"You wanna sit on his lap, Sammy?" John asked. Sammy frantically shook his head, burying his face in his dad's shoulder.

"Don't you want to sit on my lap, Sammy?" Santa questioned.

Sammy gasped. "Daddy, Santa knows my name!"

"Of course I do." Santa answered with a smile. "I know all the little children's names."

"Weally?" Sammy asked, wiggling out of his dad's hold. Once on the ground he walked over to the red suited man.

"Really" Santa replied. He reached down and picked up the toddler, setting him on his free knee. "Now then, what would you like Santa to bring you for Christmas?"

"I's wants a tramp'line." Sammy stated with a dimpled grin. Taking his stuffed dog out of his jacket pocket, he held it up for Santa to see. "And Spot wants a friend to play with."

"A trampoline and a friend. I think Santa can handle that." Santa responded before turning to Dean. "And what about you, young man? What would you like for Christmas?"

"Oh, a football and a umm, a remote control car" Dean rattled off.

"That's all?" Santa questioned with a frown.

"Yes sir" Dean replied.

"Okay" Santa hesitantly agreed. "Well then, you boys be good and listen to your daddy and I'll see what I can do."

"Yes sir" Dean and Sammy answered before sliding off Santa's lap. Taking the goody bag the jolly old elf handed them, they thanked the man and then raced over to their father.

"Look what we's got!" Sammy hollered, holding up his bag.

"I see, kiddo" John replied. "Why don't you let me hold those for you?"

"Can I's have a piece of candy fiwst?" Sammy asked.

"One piece" John responded, holding up one finger.

"Yes!" both boys cheered. They dug through their bags and picked out one treat before passing their bags to their dad.

"Alright, let's head to the store. I've got a few things I need to pick up." John told his boys. Taking them by the hand, he started ushering them towards the exit. 

SPN 

"Uncle Josh!" Dean hollered as they climbed out of the impala. "I thought you said you had something you had to do."

"I did." Josh replied, taking the boy's hand and starting across the crosswalk. "I'm almost through. I've just gotta pick up a couple of things here first. Actually, you might be able to help me out with that."

"I can?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I told a friend of mine I'd pick up a video game system and a few games for his son. The boy's only a year older than you so I'm thinking you can help me pick out some games he might like." Josh explained.

"Can I, dad?" Dean questioned as they walked into the store. "Please?"

"Sure" John answered. "As long as you stay with Josh"

"I will." Dean promised.

"I's go, too?" Sammy asked.

"No, you're staying with me." John said, capturing the bouncing toddler and putting him in a shopping cart. "You've gotta help daddy and Uncle Bobby pick out a few things for tomorrow."

"Okay" Sammy replied, walking Spot across the buggy handle.

"Meet at the registers in an hour?" Bobby suggested.

Josh's "Yeah" came at the same time as John's "Sounds good".

The group went off in opposite directions, determined to get all the fixings for the perfect family Christmas. 

SPN 

John pulled to a stop in front of Bobby's place several hours later. Cutting the engine, he turned to face his two tired sons. "Okay boys, baths then bed." He ordered.

"Yes sir" both boys automatically answered.

"Daddy, will you wead us a stowy?" Sammy asked as he struggled to release his seat belt.

"Yeah daddy will read you a story after you're all tucked in." John assured his youngest. He climbed out of the impala and opened the back door. Reaching in the back seat, he swiftly unfastened the toddler's seat belt and lifted him out of the car. "Come on kiddo, let's get you two to bed." He whispered, patting his son's back. Taking Dean by the hand, John shuffled up the steps and across the porch to Bobby's front door. As soon as Bobby unlocked the door, the Winchester patriarch marched into the house. Setting Sammy on his feet beside Dean, he knelt down to the boys' eye level. "Go get your pajamas. I'll start the water."

"Yes sir" Dean and Sammy replied before tiredly trudging off down the hall.

Once his sons were out of earshot, John turned to his friends. "You guys go ahead and get started on the you know what." He suggested. "I'll take care of the boys."

"Alright" Bobby agreed with a nod. "Just don't think you're getting outta all the work."

"Don't worry. I'm sure there'll be plenty for me to do after I get Dean and Sammy to bed." John said.

"You bet your as-cot." Josh replied, changing his curse word as Sammy and Dean walked back into the room.

Sammy gazed curiously at his father. "Daddy, what's an ascot?" he asked.

"Oh, it's a umm, a…"

"It's kinda like a scarf, Sammy." Josh broke in.

"O-yawn-oh" Sammy said, fisting his eyes.

"Alright guys, let's get you in the tub." John stated, picking his youngest up. "Tell Josh and Bobby good night."

"Night night Uncle Bobby" Sammy whispered, planting a kiss on the older man's cheek. He repeated the process with Josh before laying his head back on his dad's shoulder.

"Night Uncle Bobby, Night Uncle Josh" Dean simply said, allowing the men to give him a hug goodnight. Leaning into his father, the eight year old shuffled with his dad down the hall and into the bathroom. 

SPN 

A short time later, the Winchester boys were tucked into bed on either side of their father. Snuggled into John's side, they listened intently as their dad read "The Night Before Christmas".

"_Merry Christmas to all! And to all a good night_" John read. Not hearing the usual 'wead it again!' from Sammy, he glanced down to find both boys fast asleep. Smiling, he quietly closed the book and set it on the nightstand before carefully sliding off the bed. He pulled the blanket up and tucked it around his sons. "Night boys" he whispered, kissing Dean and Sammy's foreheads. John crept to the doorway and after a quick glance back at his sleeping children, walked out the door. He had work to do. 

SPN 

John awoke the next morning to someone jumping on his bed.

"Daddy! Daddy! Get up! It's Chwistmas!" Sammy shouted as he bounced on the bed.

John kept his eyes closed and feigned sleep, waiting for just the right time to…"ROWRRRR!" he shouted, grabbing the tiny body and wrapping it in a hug. "The tickle monster's got you now!"

"Noooo! Nooo, giggle, tickle daddy" Sammy got out between laughs. Spotting his big brother peering around the doorway, he hollered for reinforcements. "D-Deeean! Help!"

"I'll save you Sammy!" Dean yelled. Grinning from ear to ear, he raced into the room and launched himself at his dad.

It only took minutes for the tide to turn and John to find himself at the mercy of his children. Laughing, he said the one thing he knew would stop the merciless attack. "Y-you wan-wanna, snicker, go seeee what San-Santa br-brought?"

"Yea!" Sammy cheered, clapping his hands.

"Yeah, let's go!" Dean excitedly agreed, knowing he and Josh had bought a toy to put under the tree for Sammy.

"Gimme a second, boys" John called as he rolled off the bed. Grabbing his jeans off the back of the chair, he swiftly pulled them on. "Alright boys, let's go!"

Dean and Sammy whooped before racing out of the room. They ran down the hall, skidding to a stop at the living room doorway. The boys' mouths dropped as they took in the beautifully decorated Christmas tree surrounded by a mound of colorfully wrapped presents. "Is, is all this for us?" Dean gasped.

"You bet." John replied with a smile. "Looks like Santa thought you two had been really good this year."

Bobby and Josh poked their heads out of the kitchen. Seeing the wide-eyed boys gawking at the tree, they smiled. "Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in." Bobby called.

Dean and Sammy glanced over at their uncles for a moment before dashing to the tree. Plopping down on their bottoms, they hurriedly grabbed boxes with their names on them and started ripping into them.

The men watched as the boys tore into present after present, making over each thing they received. They couldn't remember the last time they'd seen either boy so happy. All three vowed to do their best to keep those smiles on the boys faces the rest of the day.

In minutes, Bobby's living room was a paper covered mess. "Looks like you boys cleaned up." Bobby observed as he tossed some paper into the garbage bag in his hands.

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen a haul that big." Josh commented as he joined in the clean-up effort.

"Santa was nice to Sammy." Sammy stated, showing his uncles the stuffed dog he was playing with. Seeing the older men picking up the trash, he quickly put his toy down and stood up. "I help!" he declared, picking up a handful of wrapping paper.

"Me too" Dean added. Grabbing some discarded paper, he threw it into Bobby's bag.

"Nice shot, Dean" John complimented as he joined the cleaning crew.

"Thanks dad" Dean said, grinning from ear to ear at the praise.

Once the living room was free of wrapping paper and empty boxes, the group moved their celebration into the kitchen. Bobby turned on the stove and walked over to the fridge to get the eggs and bacon. "Dean, would you mind getting dressed and going out to feed the dogs while I get breakfast ready?" he inquired.

"You got it, Uncle Bobby" Dean answered before scurrying out of the room.

"Come on Sammy, let's get you dressed, too and you can help Dean." John said, holding out his hand.

"Yea! I help!" Sammy hollered. Taking his father's hand, he hurried out of the room.

"What'cha want me to do?" Josh asked.

"Why don't you make the toast?" Bobby suggested, motioning to the ancient machine on one corner of the counter. "You can make toast without burning my house down, can't ya?"

"You can make toast without burning my house down, can't ya?" Josh mimicked, rolling his eyes. "Idgit"

"Need I remind you of the time you tried to make chicken?" Bobby asked, snickering at the glare he received in response. Flipping on the radio, he hummed along with the tunes as he cooked. 

SPN 

Dean and Sammy bounded into the kitchen, coats, boots, and mittens already on. "We're going to feed the dogs now." Dean announced as he herded his over excited brother to the door.

"Okay, just be careful" Bobby advised. He watched the boys tromp out the door and onto the porch.

The three hunters waited with baited breathe for the moment John's boys would see…Dean's surprised shout followed by a squeal of glee from Sammy let the men know the boys had found their other Christmas surprise. They could just imagine the looks on the Winchester boys' faces right now. They were both probably about to explode with excitement. Hearing boots stomping across the porch, the men quickly schooled their expressions.

"Daddy! Daddy! Santa Claus bwinged a twamp'line!" Sammy hollered as he burst through the door.

"And a basketball goal. A real one" Dean enthused, following his brother inside.

"He did?" John questioned, playing dumb.

"Uh huh" Sam replied, nodding his head. "It's big and wound and…daddy, how did Santa get my twamp'line in his sleigh?"

"Santa's magic, remember Sammy?" John fibbed.

"Yeah, that's how he can fly all over the world in one night." Dean added.

"Oh" Sammy said. Turning to his dad, he pinned the man with his puppy dog look. "Daddy, can we go jump on the twamp'line?"

"Well, I don't know son." John hedged.

"Go ahead, Johnny" Bobby prodded. "Breakfast won't be ready for a while yet, anyway."

"Thanks Bobby" John said. Turning to his boys, he held out his hands. "You heard the man! Let's go play!"


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- Thanks to everyone who's stuck with this one.

Previously on Supernatural- "Thanks Bobby" John said. Turning to his boys, he held out his hands. "You heard the man! Let's go play!" 

SPN 

After a quick breakfast, the family of hunters gathered some supplies before bundling up and heading outside once more. Going out the front door this time, they tromped down the porch steps and into the yard. The men and boys fanned out across the snow covered yard, searching for the perfect spot for their project. It took a while but the group finally settled on building right in front of Bobby's front porch. Deciding that splitting up the work would make it easier and faster, they divided into three groups, with Josh being the lone member of his group.

Bobby picked up a handful of snow and shaped it into a snowball. Once it was formed to his liking, he set it back on the ground. "Okay, Dean start rolling it." he ordered, smiling as the boy eagerly complied. He watched as the snowball grew bigger and bigger. When it had doubled in size, the old hunter got down on his knees and helped Dean push it along. Sneaking a glance over his shoulder, he saw John and Sammy forming their own snowball while Josh was already finished with his. Groaning as his knees and back protested his position, the junk yard owner turned back to the task at hand.

Half an hour later the family stepped back and gazed at their snowman. It was a little lopsided but considering it had been years since any of them had even attempted to make one, it wasn't half bad. It just needed a few finishing touches.

Grabbing a couple of long sticks out of the yard, Josh carefully inserted them into the snowman's sides to make his arms. He then took off the dark purple scarf he was wearing and wrapped it around the snowman's nonexistent neck. "There, that's better." He said.

John rubbed his chin thoughtfully before shaking his head. "It still needs something." He commented.

Snapping his fingers, Bobby pulled off his battered trucker's cap and dropped it onto Sammy's head. "Here buddy, put this on our snowman." He instructed, picking the toddler up.

Sammy nodded, grabbing the cap when the motion knocked it off his head. He eyed the snowman for a few seconds before deciding on the placement of the headwear. Then sticking his tongue out in concentration, the littlest Winchester lowered the hat onto the snowman.

"He's gonna need some protection if he's going to hang around us." Dean observed. He raced back into the house, returning moments later with John's old shoulder holster and a gun that no longer worked. Laughing as his dad swung him up onto his shoulders, the eight year old quickly threaded the snowman's arms through the holster and pulled it up to where the top two snowballs met.

"Here, use these for the eyes." Bobby stated, handing two small protective charms to Dean, who hurriedly stuck them in the head.

"Hmmm, what about his nose and mouth?" Josh asked. "What are we gonna use for those?"

"I got it!" Dean shouted, pulling three Lego blocks out of his jeans' pocket. Being careful not to crack the snowball, the little boy lined the blocks up on the head to make the snowman smile.

"Now we just need a nose." Bobby observed.

"I's get it!" Sammy squealed. He wiggled out of his uncle's arms and dashed towards the house.

"I'll go with him." Josh said as he started after the toddler. "There are a couple of things I wanna get for the snowman, anyway."

Needing something to do while they waited, the remaining hunters dropped back to their knees and started shaping a snowdog.

By the time Sammy and Josh returned John, Dean, and Bobby had managed to shape all four dog legs and part of its body. Pausing in their rolling, they stood to see what the others had found.

"Daddy! Daddy! I's got the nose!" Sammy hollered as he barreled into his father's legs.

"You do?" John asked, hoisting his baby boy into his arms. His eyes crossed as Sammy shoved his hand in his face. "I see, kiddo. I see. Let's put it on the snowman, okay?"

"Yea!" Sammy exclaimed. Holding his prize in his hand, he watched his Uncle Bobby bore a small hole in the middle of the snowman's head with his Swiss Army knife. After Bobby was finished, John lifted Sammy up and the toddler pushed the little green army man into the hole. "Look! Snowman gots a gween nose!"

"I see, Sammy" Bobby replied his eyes fixed on Josh. He swallowed hard as his watched his friend tenderly place Caleb's favorite jacket and Pastor Jim's rosary on the snowman. "J-Josh"

"They were family, too" Josh whispered, fingering the leather bomber jacket.

"I know, man. I know." Bobby softly said. He placed a comforting hand on the older man's shoulder. "I miss'em too."

"Miss who?" Dean questioned, staring curiously up at the hunters. "Why do you have P.J.'s rosary? He never lets that outta his sight."

"Well, ummm, you see" Josh stammered. "The thing of it is…"

"Pastor Jim let Josh borrow them for a job he was doing." John smoothly fibbed. "Isn't that right, Josh?"

"Oh, oh right, that's exactly what happened." Josh agreed.

Dean looked skeptically at his uncle before shrugging. "P.J.'s gonna be pis-, I mean mad when he finds out you put it on a snowman." He told his uncle.

John raised an eyebrow at his eldest boy's almost curse. Seeing the eight year old's rosy red cheeks and nose, he frowned. Evidently they had been out longer than he thought. Not wanting his boys to get sick, the father reluctantly decided to end the fun. "Time to go inside, boys" he called.

"But daddy, we's didn't finish the doggie!" Sammy countered.

"We'll finish it in a little while." John promised, tightening his hold on the squirming youngster. "Right now, we need to get you two inside and warmed up before you catch cold."

"Your daddy's right, Little Bit. You don't wanna have to spend the next few days sick in bed, do you?" Bobby asked, already knowing the answer.

Sammy frantically shook his head. "I no wants to go to bed. I wants to play." He adamantly stated.

"Okay then, we've gotta go inside for a while." John told him as he walked up the porch steps. "We'll come back out later. Promise."

"Okay" Sammy sighed.

"Good man" John praised, ruffling the toddler's hair. He tromped across the porch and into the house. Putting his youngest son down beside the coat rack, the father helped Sammy slide off his wet coat, mittens, and boots while keeping a watchful eye on his eldest as he did the same. "Alright boys go change into some dry clothes."

Seeing the youngsters slowly trudge towards the staircase, Bobby added, "After you finish changing, come into the kitchen and we'll have some hot chocolate."

"With marshmallows?" Dean questioned hopefully.

"Is there any other kind?" Bobby shot back, chuckling as both boys squealed and raced for the stairs. Smiling, he doubled his pace. He needed to change and be in the kitchen before two certain little boys. 

SPN 

Josh looked from John and Dean, who were busily building a Hot Wheels track along one wall, to Bobby and Sammy constructing a marble pipe track on the opposite side of the room. He couldn't believe he was getting a second chance with John's boys. He was having the time of his life playing with them! If he ever saw that trickster, he'd buy it a drink. The Loki had granted more than just John's wish that day. He and Bobby would forever be indebted to John for making the wish and to the trickster for granting it. Tired of being just a spectator, Josh set down his empty hot chocolate mug. The hunter climbed out of the recliner and studied both parties, trying to decide who to play with first. The eldest Winchesters looked like they had their site well under control so he shuffled over to the other two. "You guys need any help?" he inquired as he sat down next to them.

Nodding, Sammy covered his mouth with both hands. "Uncle Joshie make a funny noise!" he giggled.

"Wait till you get to be my age, Short Stuff" Josh said. "Your old bones will creak and pop, too."

"No, I's won't" Sammy disagreed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, just keep thinking that, kiddo" Bobby muttered, snapping another pipe on their track.

"Okay" Sammy happily answered. Scooping up the giant, silver marble, the toddler got to his feet. "We's weady!"

Bobby picked up the other marble and held it over the opposite end of the pipe. "Let her roll, Sammy!" he exclaimed. He waited for the toddler's marble to roll down the first pipe before releasing his own. The salvage owner watched the littlest Winchester excitedly bounce up and down as the marbles raced down the different colored plastic pipes. Seeing Sammy's marble hit the bottom first, Bobby gave a loud sigh. "Dang! You beat me, Little Bit!"

Frowning at the expression on his uncle's face, Sammy walked around the structure and over to Bobby. "It's okay Uncle Bobby." He consoled, patting the man's shoulder. "You's win next time."

Bobby smiled. God, he loved that kid! "You think so, buddy?" he asked.

"Uh huh" Sammy replied, nodding.

"Well then, let's get to racing" Bobby said.

"Yea! We wace!" Sammy hollered, clapping his hands. Running back around their track, the four year old grabbed his marble and readied to race again. 

SPN 

By eleven o'clock both boys were starting to sag. The early wake up combined with the excitement of the morning was taking its toll on the two youngsters. Seeing Sammy sleepily fisting his eyes for the third time in as many minutes, John decided he better make a quick lunch. He didn't want either boy face planting in their food. After telling Dean his plans, the eldest Winchester stood and went into the kitchen. He snagged the cheese and butter out of the fridge and set them on the counter beside the bread. Grabbing a pan out of a cabinet, he swiftly fixed a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches. He placed a sandwich and a handful of chips on three plates and then called his boys to the table. 

SPN 

Josh gently removed the half-eaten chip from Sammy's hand before scooping the toddler up and cradling him to his chest. His heart swelled as tiny fingers began playing with the hair on the back of his neck. "I think its past Little Bit's bedtime." He whispered. The hunter quietly scooted his chair back and stood.

"You want me to get him, Josh?" John softly asked.

"Naw, I've got him." the older man replied. "Besides, I think you're going to have your hands full."

Confused, John glanced in the direction his friend was pointing. Seeing Dean sleeping sitting up, he smirked. "You're right about that." he stated as he stood. Leaning down, the father picked up his eldest and started for the bedroom. Hearing a muffled voice, he gazed down to see Dean's jade green eyes staring up at him. "What was that, kiddo?"

"I sssaid I can *yawn* walk, daddd." Dean sleepily slurred.

"I've got you, Champ." John assured. "Go back to sleep."

"Kay" Dean breathed, his eyes already closing.

Josh and John quickly and quietly carried their precious bundles up the stairs and down the hall to the boys' bedroom. John pulled back the blankets on one bed before climbing in and leaning against the headboard. He laid his eldest down and snuggled him into his side and then reached for his baby boy.

Josh reluctantly relinquished his charge. Shuffling over to one of the chairs in the room, he silently plopped down. "I think I'll just sit and rest for a moment." He muttered.

Smiling, John nodded. He knew exactly how Josh felt. Turning his attention back to his boys, he noticed a tiny red light at the doorway out of the corner of his eye. Trying and failing to hold back an eye roll, the Winchester patriarch called, "Bobby, you're going to wear out that camcorder before the day is over."

The light went off and a shame faced Bobby stepped in the door. "Sorry, Johnny I can't help it." he mumbled.

"I think it's safe to say we all feel that way." Josh commented.

"I know. I wasn't fussing. I was just stating a fact." John said with a smirk. "And I didn't say for you to turn it off, either."

Returning his friend's smile with a grin of his own, Bobby swiftly held the camcorder back up and pressed the record button. 

SPN 

A few of hours later found the Winchester extended family outside once more. After finishing the snow dog, they split into two teams for a snow ball fight. Josh and Bobby took one side of the yard while John, Dean, and Sammy prepared to defend the other. Both groups built decent sized snow forts and stockpiled snowballs before starting the fun. Then, at Josh's shout of "Ready!", the snowballs went flying. Dean and Sammy threw snowball after snowball, leaving their dad to make more. They whooped and cheered as the projectiles splattered their opponents' fort while ducking and weaving to avoid being hit.

Bobby and Josh slowly lobbed snowballs in the direction of the Winchesters' fort, being careful not to hit the structure. Once their hiding spot was demolished, the two hunters hurried to get behind the trees, bushes, and cars lining the front yard. Unfortunately, both men "slipped" several times, making it easy for the little boys' missiles to hit their mark.

After being thoroughly soaked, the veteran hunters decided it was time to turn the tables on the Winchesters. Gathering up a huge handful of snow, the two stealthily crept around behind the children's snow fortress. They silently counted to three and then pounced on their unsuspecting prey!

Dean and Sammy shrieked as they were engulfed in a sudden snow shower! Wiping snow out of their faces, the little boys looked back to see their uncles grinning triumphantly at them. "You're gonna pay for that." Dean grumbled as he brushed snow out of his hair. Grabbing two of their remaining snowballs, the eight year old handed one to his little brother and then jumped up. "GET'EM!" he yelled, launching himself at the surprised men.

John watched from the safety of the porch as Dean and Sammy chased their uncles all around the yard, stopping every once in a while to pick up a handful of snow. Those two were no match for his boys. Between Dean and Sammy the older men were sure to be dripping wet by the time they headed inside. The father grinned at that image. He was so glad he was part of team Winchester. He had no desire to get…SPLAT! John grimaced as he wiped snow of his forehead and face. The Winchester patriarch stood and glared at his attacker: his eight year old son. Pasting on his best "mad dad" expression, he put his hands on his hips. "Dean!" he barked, freezing the boy in his tracks. "You know…" he paused before breaking into a dimpled grin. "This means war!" Fast as lightning, John bent down, scooped up a handful of snow, and tossed it at his stunned son, hitting him in the chest.

"Dude!" Dean yelled, holding up a snowball menacingly. "You are so going down!" Shouting a battle cry, he rushed his new adversary.

Bobby shivered as a cold wind blew straight through his soaked winter coat. Checking his watch, he did a double take. They'd been out in the snow for almost three hours! Knowing it was way past time for the boys to go inside, he headed towards Sammy. Seeing the toddler wiping his nose with the back of his hand, he muttered a curse. It looked like he might be too late. Hurrying over, he picked the trembling youngster up and started for the house. "Johnny! We need to get inside!" he hollered, knowing the younger man would understand and follow. Bobby rushed up the steps, across the porch, and into the house. Stripping off the four year old's snow logged coat, mittens, and boots, the uncle threw his own jacket off and then quickly walked down the hall to the bathroom. Setting the littlest Winchester on his feet, he put the stopper in the tub and turned on the faucet. While the water ran, he helped Sammy pull his wet clothes off. He then turned off the water and gently placed the boy in the tub. Hearing footsteps, he turned as Dean trudged into the room. Knowing Sam was in safe hands, Bobby retreated to the hallway, where Josh and John were waiting.

"Sammy alright?" John asked.

"For now" Bobby answered adding, "But I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he woke up sick tomorrow morning."

John ran a weary hand across his face. He'd been having so much fun, he hadn't even thought about the time. He knew better than to keep the boys out in the cold so long, especially when…

"It's not your fault, Johnny" Josh said, snapping the younger man out of his thoughts. "We all knew better."

"Maybe but they're my boys."

"No, they're our boys" Bobby corrected.

John nodded. He had to concede that one. In fact, in some ways Dean and Sammy were more Bobby's than his. Bobby was the one that had made sure the boys had some kind of childhood. He was the one that played catch with Dean and hide and seek with Sammy. He always…

"Johnny, quit thinking so hard. You're giving me a headache." Josh groused, slapping the younger man's shoulder.

"Huh?" John asked, glancing at his friend.

"Real intelligent comeback there, John" Josh teased.

"Ha ha" John grumbled.

"Go see about your kids, idgit" Bobby suggested, ruffling the other man's hair, much to John's dismay. "Josh and I will start supper. I wanna get a hot meal in the boys. Maybe we can still fend off the cold from Hell."

"Thanks guys, for everything" John sincerely said.

"Holy crap! John Winchester just initiated a chick flick moment! You know where must have just frozen over!" Josh exclaimed, a goofy grin decorating his face.

Smirking, John gave the older hunter a one finger salute before going into the bathroom.

"Come on Red Skelton, we've got supper to make." Bobby stated as he started down the hall. 

SPN 

The small family spent the evening watching some of the cartoons the boys got for Christmas and playing with their new toys. All too soon it was bedtime.

John sighed. The day had gone far too quickly for his liking. He wasn't ready to lose his little boys yet. Deciding to let Dean and Sammy stay up just a little longer, the Winchester patriarch focused back on their game.

Sammy yawned and sleepily fisted his eyes. Sticking his thumb in his mouth, he set his controller on the floor. He pushed to his feet, stumbled over to his uncle, and raised his arms. "Uncle Bobby wock Sammy?" he mumbled around his thumb.

"Sure buddy" Bobby answered, picking the exhausted boy up. He walked over to the ancient rocking chair and took a seat. Settling the toddler in his lap, the salvage owner snuggled him into his side as he began to slowly rock. In minutes, the littlest Winchester was fast asleep.

Half an hour later, Dean's eyes began to droop. Knowing he had stalled as long as he could, John scooped up his eldest and started for the bedroom. He slowly trudged up the stairs and down the hall. Making it to the boys' room, the father took a deep breath before opening the door and going inside. John went over to the bed, kicked off his shoes, and gingerly sat down. Laying his eldest down, he swiftly stripped off his jeans, shirts, and socks, exchanging them for pajamas. After settling Dean in the bed, the hunter disrobed and lay down next to his son. He took a sleeping Sammy from Bobby and settled him on his chest.

"Is that wise, Johnny?" Bobby quietly questioned. "The trickster's probably going to change them back during the night."

"I'm not leaving them, Bobby." John adamantly stated.

Bobby nodded. He knew exactly how Winchester felt. "Well, at least move Sammy to your side. He grows while you're sleeping and he'll squish you." He said. "The kid makes you look like a dwarf."

"Sammy makes everybody look like a dwarf." John responded, carding a hand through the boy's long locks. "But you're right. He can't stay here. He'd freak out if he woke up and found he was sleeping on top of me."

Bobby grimaced. "Now there's an image I didn't need in my head." He grumbled.

John tensed as Sammy squirmed for a moment before settling back down. "Night Bobby" he whispered once he was sure his baby wouldn't wake.

"Night John" Bobby replied. Bending down, he kissed Dean and Sammy's foreheads. "Night boys" he softly said. Taking one long last look at the two peacefully sleeping children, the uncle slowly made his way out of the room. Once in the hall, he turned off the camcorder and started down the hall. There was a video he wanted to watch before he turned in for the night. 

AN- For anyone who doesn't know who Red Skelton was, he was a wonderfully funny comedian. If you've never seen him, you've missed a treat. If you decide to check him out, make sure you look up his version of the pledge of allegiance.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- Well we finally made it to the end. A huge thanks to everyone who's stuck with this one. Now to get one of the older ones going again.

Previously on Supernatural- "Night John" Bobby replied. Bending down, he kissed Dean and Sammy's foreheads. "Night boys" he softly said. Taking one long last look at the two peacefully sleeping children, the uncle slowly made his way out of the room. Once in the hall, he turned off the camcorder and started down the hall. There was a video he wanted to watch before he turned in for the night. 

SPN 

Dean sighed as he gazed up at the buxom blond sleeping beside him. Harriet…no wait, Helen or was it Heather? Oh well whatever her name, she was perfect in every way. She had curves in all the right places, legs that went on forever, and a brain the size of Barbie's. On a scale of one to ten, the blond bombshell was a twelve. Looking at the woman's beautiful face, the eldest Winchester frowned. He knew he should be heading back to the motel but he wasn't ready to leave his conquest just yet. Then again he had promised Sam he would help with the research tonight. The kid had to be pretty pis…he was drawn out of his thoughts by the sound of a high pitched giggle. Eyeing the jiggling chest, Dean quickly made his decision. He was staying. Sam was a big boy. He could take care of himself for a few hours. Sighing, the hunter snuggled closer to his sleeping beauty. Placing his head down on her well-endowed chest, he smiled as a strong arm wrapped around him. A calloused hand gently rubbed up and down his arm while the stubble on her chin tickled his…Wait! Callouses and facial stubble! WTF? Dean's eyelids flew open and his eyes snapped up to the figure holding him in a tight grip. His jaw dropped open and his eyes widened comically as he looked into the amused face of: "Dad?"

John smiled mischievously at his eldest. "'Bout time you woke up, Sport. All that moaning you were doing was starting to make me uncomfortable." He teased.

"D-dude, that's so, so wrong." Dean sputtered, turning bright red.

"You got that right." John agreed, fighting off the impulse to laugh. He didn't get one over on his eldest very often, but when he did manage it, it was an awesome feeling! Seeing his son beginning to struggle in his grip, the Winchester patriarch quietly but sternly ordered, "Dean, be still. I'm not ready to get up yet."

"Daaaad" Dean whined as he attempted to wiggle out of his father's hold. "I'm too old to be snuggling with you. Come on man. Let me up."

Refusing to lose this precious moment so soon, John said the one thing he knew was guaranteed to stop his eldest in his tracks. "Dean, stop it before you wake your brother."

Dean immediately stilled. Lifting his head slightly, he peered over his dad to check on his younger sibling. He had to bite the side of his cheek to keep a chuckle from escaping. His Stanford educated brother was sleeping with his thumb stuck in his mouth and a poor stuffed dog squashed against his chest. Smirking, the big brother glanced at the nightstand behind his ginormous brother where his cell phone was laying. "Dad, can you pass me my phone?" Dean asked, nodding towards the ancient wooden piece of furniture. "I've gotta get a picture of this!"

John shook his head. "No way, Dean. You are not taking a picture of Sammy like this." He growled, carding a hand through his baby boy's hair. Seeing the evil glint in his oldest son's eyes, he quickly added, "And don't even think of teasing him about it either. One word and I'll take you out to Bobby's woodshed and make sure you don't sit comfortably for a week."

"Dad, I'm twenty six!" Dean protested.

"And?" John shot back, arching an eyebrow.

Dean swallowed hard as he took in the 'boot camp commander' expression on their dad's face. He knew better than to argue when John was giving him that look. Knowing their father expected an answer, Dean replied, "Nothing, just saying"

"Well don't" John firmly instructed. "I won't have our Christmas marred by teasing gone too far. I want to enjoy being with my boys today, not watch my youngest sit around and sulk.

Dean resisted the urge to point out that John was usually the reason the kid was sulking.

"I mean it, Dean." John sternly added when he saw his eldest start to roll his eyes. "The past few days have been difficult for all of us but it was especially hard on Sammy. The kid's had to endure more than his share of embarrassing moments since the trickster's little gift and I won't have you making it worse. Understand?"

"But dad"

"No buts Dean" John quietly growled. "You will not tease your brother about anything that happened while he was little. Otherwise, I just might accidently slip up and spill about that time in Dallas two years ago when you…"

"Dad!" Dean squeaked in horror. "You promised you'd never bring that up."

"And I won't as long as you keep your end of the bargain." John reasoned with a smirk. "Deal?"

"Deal" Dean grudgingly agreed. He'd go along with his dad for now. But once they were back on the road, all bets were off. After all, what kind of big brother would he be if he passed on the gold mine of material from the past week? Sighing, the disgruntled hunter patted his rumbling stomach. "Can I at least wake him up now? I'm starving?"

Now it was John's turn to sigh. He still wasn't ready to lose the comfort holding his sons was providing, but he knew the time had come. "Fine" he replied.

Grinning gleefully, Dean reached over and poked his little brother's shoulder. "Sammy, time to wake uuup!" he sing-songed.

Sam shifted in his sleep. "Go 'way" he slurred.

Huffing at the sleepy response, Dean tried again. Choosing to use a different tactic this time, he lightly slapped his sibling's cheek. "Wakey, wakey" he cheerfully called.

"Deeeean! 'Leepin'" Sam whined, snuggling closer to the warm body beside him. He unsuccessfully batted at the offending appendage before dropping his hand to his pillow, which turned out to be John's face. The young man's whole body tensed and his forehead crinkled in confusion at the feeling. Lifting his hand, he slowly probed the face under his fingertips. Feeling the short cropped hair, Sam breathed a sigh of relief. It was just Dean playing a trick on him. Relaxing, he started to remove his hand. He froze as his fingers accidently brushed the side of a beard. Eyes snapping open, the littlest Winchester leapt back and fell right off the side of the bed. Hitting the floor with a thud, the stunned hunter rubbed the back of his head as he blinked up at two very familiar sets of eyes.

"You okay there, son?" John worriedly asked.

"Dad? Dean? How did…when…what?" Sam stammered.

"Way to show that college education, Geek Boy" Dean joked.

"Ha ha" Sam grumbled as he slowly picked himself up off the floor. Taking a seat on the edge of the empty bed, he massaged his temple with his hand. "The wish, right?"

John nodded. "I went to sleep with two little boys beside me."

"Good thing, Sammy didn't go to sleep on your chest last night or you'd be a pancake right now." Dean quipped.

"Cute" the Winchester patriarch said, playfully swatting the back of his oldest son's head. Seeing his youngest still rubbing his forehead, he frowned. "You okay, Sam?"

"Yes sir" Sam replied, giving his dad a small smile. Standing, he gestured towards the door. "I'm, uh, just gonna go, umm, to the p-bathroom."

Dean burst out laughing as his little brother practically ran out of the room. "Way to freak the kid out, dad" he praised between chuckles. "I haven't seen Sammy that freaked since the last time I left him at that Pennywhistle place."

John ran a hand across his beard with a sigh. This was not the way he had intended to start the day. He guessed he should have put the boys in their own bed last night. Waking up in the same bed with his brother wouldn't have bothered Sam. The boys had shared beds for years growing up. Oh well, it was too late now. The damage had already been done. The only thing he could do now was ensure the rest of the day went smoothly for both his boys. Climbing out of bed, the senior Winchester grabbed his jeans off the back of the chair next to the bed. "Get dressed Dean" he instructed as a wonderful aroma drifted into the room from the open door. "It's breakfast time." 

SPN 

Dean and Sam tromped down the stairs and trudged to the living room. They both stopped in the doorway, gasping as they took in the toys scattered around the room. "Dude, look! It's my old marble set!" Sam exclaimed, hurrying over to the plastic structure.

"Cool! My Hot Wheels track!" Dean shouted. Snatching the model impala off the floor, he sent it racing down the colorful track. Looking at the set, he suddenly frowned. "Wait a minute. These things look brand new. Shouldn't they been all faded and old?"

"Yeah, I was four when I got…" Sam cut off as the light bulb went on. "I'm remembering yesterday, aren't I?"

"Yes" John simply answered.

Dean glanced around the room in awe. He couldn't believe their dad had done all this for them. It looked like their old man had gone all out. There were stockings hanging on the fireplace mantle and a huge decked out tree with…presents? "Umm, dad? If Christmas was yesterday, why are there still a ton of presents under the tree?" he curiously questioned.

John smiled. "My little boys Christmas was yesterday. Today, it's Christmas for my grown sons." He explained, chuckling as both boys' mouths dropped to the floor.

"Well? What are you two waiting for, an engraved invitation?" Bobby called from the kitchen doorway. "Git to opening the presents!"

"You heard the man. Hop to it!" John ordered when his boys continued to stand and stare.

Snapping out of their trance, the Winchester brothers hurried over to the tree. They plopped down on the floor, handed each other a wrapped box, and ripped into their presents.

"No way" Sam whispered as he pulled the silver e-reader out of its box. Holding it reverently, he slid the switch to on and gasped. There are the screen was a list of his favorite books from his high school days along with several new favorites from college.

"You like it, Sam?" John asked. "I think I remembered the titles of all those books you used to tote around. But if I left out any, there's a gift card in the box you can use to get them."

"Dad, this is, is, I love it." Sam said, not taking his eyes off the gift. "But how did you know about…"

"The ones from college?" John finished. "Sammy, did you seriously think I'd just let you go out in the world alone? I checked on you every chance I got. Hell, I even sat in on a couple of classes just to make sure you were doing okay."

"You, you…"

"We all did, son" Josh chimed in with a shrug. "We had to be sure our youngest was safe."

"I, I don't know what to say." Sam stammered.

"Don't say anything, boy." Bobby suggested. "Just get back to opening those boxes. I'm gonna starve to death at this rate."

A dimpled grin appeared on the youngest Winchester's face. "Open presents. Got it." he replied. He carefully set his prized possession down and picked up another box.

"That goes for you too Dean" John told his eldest, who was happily watching his little brother.

"Yes sir" Dean answered as he tore into the gift in his hands. Tossing the paper to the side, he opened the lid of the tall box and pulled out a smaller, colorful box full of cassettes. Seeing the title "Biggest Hits of Classic Rock", he flipped the box over and started reading the list of songs. His eyes widened more and more with each song title he read. "Dad! This is awesome!" he hollered, holding up his prize.

"I think you missed something, Dean-O." John said. "Check the box."

Grinning like a kid in a candy store, Dean dove back into his box. He whooped as he pulled out three thin, rectangular tickets. "Sammy! Sammy, look! Tickets to the AC/DC concert next week!" he crowed, waving the tickets around.

"Cool" Sam answered, laughing at the childlike glee on his brother's face.

John, Josh, and Bobby watched as the Winchester boys opened present after present. Smiling at each excited squeal, the men silently thanked the trickster for reminding them of what was important. 

SPN 

Once the last of the presents had been opened and the living room was cleaned up, the group moved the celebration to the kitchen. The group of hunters laughed and joked as they ate bacon, eggs, sausage, pancakes, hash browns, and toast.

Dean set his empty plate in the sink and turned to lean against the counter. "Hey dad" he called, taking a sip of his coffee. "Is the basketball goal still out back?"

"Yeah" John answered. "Why?"

Dean shrugged. "I was thinking Sam and I might play a game or two." He casually stated.

"How about a little two on three instead?" Josh offered.

"Don't you mean two on two?" Sam pointed out.

"Nope, two on three," Josh replied. "Us three against you two rugrats."

"I don't know." Dean mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "No offense, but I'm not too sure that's a good idea. At your advanced ages, that strenuous an activity might be too much for you."

"Oh, that is it! You're on!" Josh hollered. "Be prepared to get your butt kicked, kid!"

"Bring it." Dean challenged.

Grabbing their jackets and the basketball, the five hunters hurried out the back door. 

SPN 

"Who's ancient now?" Josh crowed as he followed Dean into the kitchen a few hours later.

Huffing, Dean headed straight for the coffee maker. "We let you win." He stated, pouring himself a cup of the delicious brew.

"Five times?" Bobby incredulously questioned.

"Face it Dean, youth isn't everything." John told his eldest.

"Maybe" Dean conceded. "But then again, if a certain someone wasn't such a klutz, we would've creamed you."

Glancing over at the said klutz, John frowned. His surprisingly quiet son was sitting at the kitchen table with his head lying on his folded arms. Seeing the red spot on the kid's cheek, he silently cursed. He should have known something was wrong. Concerned, the father strode over to his youngest boy and placed the back of his hand on Sam's forehead. "Aww, kiddo you just can't catch a break, can you?" he muttered.

Sam swiftly sat up. "I'm okay, dad" he assured, giving the man a slight smile. "I've just got a little headache is all."

"Right, that's why it feels like I could fry an egg on your forehead." John sarcastically stated.

"That true, Sammy?" Dean asked, walking over and doing his own temp check. He whistled. "Dude, dad's right. You're burning up."

"Come on buddy. Let's get you to bed." John soothingly said as he pulled his youngest up.

"Daaad, I can…"

"Less talking, more walking" John sternly ordered. He quickly steered his son out of the kitchen and through the living room to the stairs. "Dean, go get the first aid kit." He instructed before following Sam up the steps.

"Yes sir" Dean replied. Wanting to give his brother time to change, he slowly trudged down the hall to Bobby's bathroom. He got the junk yard owner's kit out from under the sink and made his way back down the hall and up the stairs. Making it to the closed door, he knocked before opening it. "You decent?" he asked as he peered around the door. He didn't wait for an answer, just walked in and handed the first aid kit to his dad. Going over to the bed, Dean took a seat next to his very red-faced brother. "What's a matter?"

"Dad insisted on helping me change." Sam whispered, turning even redder.

Dean chuckled. "He's in full on daddy mode, huh?" he teased. "You better hope Bobby doesn't still have the baby thermometer in the kit then."

"Deeean!" Sam squeaked, pulling the blankets up higher around him.

"Dean, leave your brother alone." John ordered as he walked over to the bed. "Sammy, open up."

Sam obediently opened his mouth for the thermometer. He waited patiently for the instrument to get a reading. Hearing a beep, he quickly yanked it out of his mouth and checked the tiny screen.

"Hand it over, Sam" John commanded, holding out his hand. Taking the cylindrical instrument from his son, he glanced at the reading and frowned. "101.8"

"Dang dude, no wonder you couldn't play worth a flip!" Dean exclaimed. "You should've said something, man."

"Why didn't you?" John curiously asked as he searched the first aid kit for some aspirin.

"I didn't really feel that bad." Sam explained with a shrug.

"Yeah, well next time say something. Don't let it get this bad. Understand?" John asked.

"Yes sir" Sam replied with a yawn.

"Alright, I'm going to go see if Bobby has some aspirin and maybe some soup or something." John said, starting for the door. "Dean, watch your brother."

"You got it, dad." Dean called back. Ignoring the bitch face being leveled at him, the big brother settled in for an afternoon of Sammy watching. 

SPN 

"Bobby, you got any s…" John froze as he caught sight of a short, cocky brown-haired man standing in the middle of his friend's kitchen.

"Ah, John boy I was wondering when you'd make an appearance!" the trickster exclaimed, clapping his hands.

"Loki, I presume" John said, slowly edging towards his friends.

"At your service" the being replied, giving an exaggerated bow.

"What are you doing here?" the senior Winchester questioned. "I thought the wish was over."

"Oh, it is. It is." Loki assured the hunters. "I just wanted to come check on my handiwork. How are the kids? They back to their old rowdy selves?"

"It was you!" Bobby charged, pointing his finger at the smirking creature.

"Me?" the trickster innocently asked. "Whatever do you mean?"

Snapping his fingers, Josh jumped into the fray. "Sammy's sick because of you, isn't he?"

Growling, John rounded on the trickster. "You made Sammy sick? Why?"

Loki rolled his eyes. "Dude, you're Winchesters. I've gotta mess with you. It's like some unwritten supernatural law or something." The trickster explained. Seeing the furious expressions on the men's faces, he sighed. "Chill guys. It's not like I gave him the plague or anything. I just amped up the cold he was already getting. The kid'll feel like crap for a few days and his fever will probably spike a time or two but he'll be fine. No harm, no foul, right?"

Bobby and Josh had to grab John to keep him from attacking the supernatural creature.

"Whoa, someone got up on the wrong side of bed this morning." The trickster grumbled.

"When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna knock that smug look right off your face!" John threatened as he struggled against the hands holding him back.

"I think that's my signal to go." Loki said, taking a step back from the enraged hunter. "Take care of the kiddos Mr. Grumpy Pants." Chuckling, the trickster waved at the trio before disappearing.

"Well, that was…"

"Different" Bobby finished, releasing his friend's arm.

John snatched his arm out of Josh's hold and stomped over to the table in the middle of the room. Letting out a frustrated breath, he wearily rubbed the back of his neck.

"How's Sam?" Josh asked, taking a seat beside the worried father.

"Not good" John replied. "His fever's almost a hundred and two."

"Think Sammy can handle some soup, Johnny?" Bobby inquired. Getting a nod in reply, he went over to the far cabinets. He opened the one closest to the sink and pulled out a can of chicken noodle soup. He took a pot from another cabinet and carried his supplies to the stove. The salvage owner placed the can in the can opener and slammed his hand on the lever. After it finished, he took the open can and dumped the contents into the pan on the stove. He turned the burner on before going over to the counter by the fridge. Bobby picked up a small white bottle and tossed it to the Winchester patriarch. "Give him a couple of those after he eats. They should knock out that fever of his."

"Thanks Bobby" John gratefully said. Getting up, he went into the supply closet and got a metal TV tray. He walked back in the kitchen and set the tray on the table before going around the room gathering food and supplies. He microwaved a plateful of leftovers for Dean and set it on the tray along with two mugs of steaming hot coffee. Taking the bowl of soup from his friend, the senior Winchester placed it on the tray as well. He carefully lifted the carrying plate and started for the door. "I'll be upstairs if you need me." He informed the others.

"Take care of Little Bit, Johnny" Bobby called after the hunter. He watched his friend walk out of the room and then turned to Josh. "So, what do you wanna do?" 

SPN 

Dean glanced up as the door opened. Putting a finger over his mouth, he carefully stood and crept over to his dad. "Here, let me get that." He offered, taking the tray from the older man.

"He been asleep long?" John questioned as he stared over at his peacefully sleeping son.

Dean nodded. "Since a couple of minutes after you left." He filled in. Setting the tray on the other bed in the room, he picked up the spoon and snagged a huge dollop of casserole. "Man, that's good." He moaned, spraying the blanket with bits of food. Not getting a response or a reprimand, he looked up to find his dad still staring at his brother. "Something wrong, dad?"

"What? Oh, no, nothing's wrong" John quickly assured his son. He walked over to the bed and took a seat beside his eldest. "I just can't get over how young he looks when he's sleeping."

"Yeah, he really does look like a kid." Dean agreed. "Just don't tell him that."

"Oh, I won't. Trust me. The last thing I want is to start a fight." John told his son. "I want to have a good relationship with Sammy again; one like I have with you."

"No offense dad, but I don't think hearing the words 'like Dean' in any way, shape, or form is going to promote good feelings. It's more likely to set off a Sammy explosion." Dean explained. "The kid heard 'more like Dean' way too much growing up and it was never meant in a good way."

"I know." John conceded. "I was just so focused on keeping you two safe that I didn't…"

"You don't have to explain it to me, dad. I know why you did what you did." Dean broke in. "It's Sammy you need to explain things to."

"I know and I will as soon as he's back on his feet." John promised. "First things first though. There's a plate of food here calling our names."

"Yeah, we better eat while we can. Knowing Sammy, his fever's gonna spike in a little bit and then we'll have our hands full." Dean stated.

"That's if he doesn't start puking his guts out first." John commented, making Dean grimace.

"Dad, I'm trying to eat here." Dean protested.

"Sorry Sport" John apologized. Reaching over the tray, he ruffled his eldest son's hair, much to the boy's chagrin.

Dean shook his head. "Dude, you are creepy when you're all happy like this."

"I'll try to tone it down a little." John teased, giving his son a dimpled grin. Falling quiet, the senior Winchester dug into his meal. He meant what he told his oldest. He was going to set things right with Sam just as soon as the kid was able. And he was going to do right by his boys from now on. From this day forth, his boys were his number one priority.


End file.
